Come What May
by KatrinaAlene
Summary: 3rd part in my Zack and Cloud Trilogy. Happy days are ahead but how long are they to last. Cloud is faced with a decision in which there are no clear winners. What will he do?
1. Cold Feet

"_Just a little further." _she said to herself as she continued to kick her legs as fast as she could. She saw the moon shining through the rippled surface and her hands clawed through the water as if it was the lid to her own coffin. Her lungs were burning and she knew if she didn't get any air soon she was going to drown.

As she forced her body to keep moving, she began to hear a voice calling for her through the waters distorted gurgles. An even bigger fear began to set in and she desperately fought the water to break the surface.

Hope was brimming as she felt her fingertips brush the surface. She stretched out her arm and her hand broke through her watery grave, but something grabbed her ankle. A screamed raged through her she felt herself being pulled down. She didn't want to die, not now!

"_Help me, somebody please help me!" _Suddenly a white light engulfed her and she found herself lying in her bed, drenched in a cold sweat. She rubbed her eyes and sighed with relief, _"It was only a dream."_

"Shazz! Hey, are you up?" Shazz looked towards the open bedroom door and recognized the voice that was calling her name.

"Y…yeah Tifa, I'm up."

"Hurry up, your breakfast is getting cold."

Shazz shook away the awful images of her dream away and threw her legs over the side of the bed. She cringed a little as her bare feet touched the cold hardwood floor and grabbed her fuzzy pink rove that lay on the foot of her bed. She put it on as she headed down the stairs. As she entered the kitchen, she saw Yuffie, Tifa, and Marlene all setting at the table, enjoying a fresh batch of pancakes.

"Good morning Shazz." Marlene said with a big smile. Shazz replied with the same warm greeting and took a seat across for the young girl. Tifa took a couple of pancakes from the plate in the middle and set them on Shazz's plate.

"Oh, thank you Tifa."

"I can't believe you slept in on a day like today." Tifa said as she passed Shazz the butter and syrup. "You're not getting cold feet are you?"

Shazz giggled, "Of course not."

Everyone at the table was in high spirits today, but Shazz in particular, was eager with anticipation. Her and Tseng were getting married. They had only been dating six months when he purposed and it was another six before wedding.

Tifa had closed down the bar and kicked out all the boys so that Shazz could celebrate her last night as a single woman. Cloud and Denzel ended up staying with Barret's place.

"Ok Shazz, I have your dress, shoes, veil, and make up all packed and ready to go. The flowers should have already arrived at the church and Reno and Rude finished up setting up all the pews. As of right now, we have about an hour left before we have to be at the church so hurry up an eat."

Shazz smiled and nodded her head. She was glad that she asked Tifa to help plan the wedding, but sometimes, she was a bit overbearing. "Thanks Tifa, I really appreciate all the work you've put into this."

"No problem, but seriously, you need to eat."

Shazz shoveled half a pancake in her mouth and washed it down with a glass of milk. Tifa gave an approving nod and began to finish her breakfast.

"So Shazz," said Yuffie who was leaning back in her chair with her arms folded behind her head. She was wearing an oversized T-shirt and grey sweat pants. "have you given any thought about what you're going to do for that whole something old, something new, something barrowed and something blue?"

"Well," Shazz put down her fork and pointed to the diamond earrings in her ear. "These were my mother's. She gave them to me when a graduated high school. That is my something old, other than that, I haven't really thought of anything else."

"Well here, you can barrow this." she handed Shazz a miniature version of her weapon of choice.

"A sh…shuriken?" said a very nervous Shazz

"Yeah, I used this when I was four and started training. It holds a lot of great memories for me." she looked upon the blades like mother might gaze upon her new born child. "As your friend, I want you to have it with you when you get married, you know, just incase the groom tries any funny business."

Shazz smiled nervously as she realized the Yuffie was being completely serious. "I…I,,,I appreciate this very much, but I don't think…" she felt Tifa kick her underneath the table. She looked over to find Tifa subtlety shaking her head as if to say, _"You'd better just accept the gift"_

"What I mean, is that I don't think I could thank you enough for this…uhhhhhh…lovely gift." Shazz gingerly placed the shuriken down on the table, she didn't want to slice her hand open before the wedding.

"No thanks needed, anything for a friend." Yuffie said with a huge grin

"Well now that we have that cleared up," Tifa said with enthusiasm, "I'm dying to know where you and Tseng are going on your honeymoon?"

"Well, we got our own private cabana on our own secluded part of the beach in Costa Del Sol."

"Seriously, sounds really romantic." All the women laughed as they noticed Shazz blush at the thought of her own honeymoon.

"What's a honeymoon?" The room became deathly quiet as all heads turned to look at Marlene.

"Well…uhhhh…Marlene," Tifa stammered as she tried to find a PG way of explaining this "it's sort of like…a little vacation."

"Vacation? Are we going?"

"No, only Shazz and Tseng are going."

"Why?"

"Because they want to be alone."

"What for?"

Tifa was finding it hard to keep up with all the questions. She could feel the sweat starting to form on her forehead as she looked into Marlene's probing brown eyes. "Because, they uhhh….want to…"

"Build sandcastles!" Yuffie quickly interrupted. Shazz and Tifa looked at her like she was out of her mind, but she just shrugged her shoulders.

Marlene turned to look at Shazz, "Can I come too? I'm really good at building sandcastles and I can help you build one so big it will reach the sky!"

Shazz smiled at the innocent girl. She knew how to defuse this situation because she had to talk Zack down from a ledge every time she started seeing someone. "Look Marlene, I would love for you to come but I need you to stay here to look after Cloud. You see, Tseng and I want to build our own sandcastle and you know how bossy Cloud can be, plus, I need you here to make sure he doesn't get too lonely when I'm away."

Marlene gave a confident nod. "Sure thing! I'll be sure to take good care of Cloud while you're gone."

"That's my girl."

"Alright you guys," said Tifa as she stood up from the table and started to pick up the dirty dishes "the time is done for conversation. I want everyone to start getting ready."

"Ok Tifa, don't get your undies in a bunch." Tifa glared at her and Shazz high tailed it up to her room. She went over to the dresser and put on Zack's old sweats, mainly because this was the closest Zack was going to be at her wedding. She was about to throw her hair up in a ponytail when she cell phone rang.

She quickly flipped the phone open to answer it. "Hello. Are you here?"

"Yeah, I'm parked right outside," came the voice on the other end

"Has she seen you?"

"No, I shut my bike off a few blocks away and walked it here. You'd better hurry because this window won't stay open for long."

"I'm well aware of that. I'm going to be running right through the door and as soon as my butt hit's the seat, just take off." She hung up the phone and tip toed down the stairs. She was about to the door when she heard a voice behind her.

"What are you doing, you're not even ready?"

Shazz smiled and out of nervousness, began combing her fingers through her hair. "Oh…uhhh…I thought I would just get ready at the church, you know, so I don't get my dress dirty."

Tifa arched an eyebrow in suspicion and an awkward silence feel upon the room. Shazz wasn't an idiot, she knew that look meant that Tifa was about to figure out what was going on, but she wasn't going to give time to talk her out of it. Shazz bolted out the door and Tifa quickly gave chase. When she noticed that Shazz was running towards Cloud who was sitting on he motorcycle, a ball of anger bounced around in side her stomach.

Shazz hopped on the back of the bike and shout at him to go. Cloud kicked the bike into gear and revved his engine. Tires squealed as he pealed away, Tifa still trying to run after them. She realized that she was never going to catch up and shouted after them "Dammit Cloud! If you make her late for her own wedding I swear to god I will rip out every spiky hair on your head!"

Cloud glanced back to the disappearing image of Tifa and then back at Shazz who seemed to be quite amused about the whole situation.

"Are you sure about this?" Cloud yelled over the sound of the engine "She did seem pretty mad."

"Yeah at you, not at me."

Cloud let out a low chuckle and shook his head. "You knew this would happen all along didn't you?"

She let out a laugh that was filled with sugar and spice. "Of course, I'm always right you know." She wrapped her arms around his waist as they whizzed down newly paved roads. The warm summer sun mingled with a light breeze to create a most perfect day. Fields with rows of corn and prairies littered with wild flowers stretched far and wide as puffy while Clouds dotted the azure sky.

Riding on the back of Cloud's bike was something she always looked forward too. It was the only time that her and Cloud were alone under the watchful gaze of the clear blue skies It was a comfortable feeling that they alone were able to share.

They slowly came to a stop and Shazz quickly got of the bike and made her way across a rocky plateau. Patches of grass were speckled with tiny white flowers and any signs of the battle that had once taken place here had long since been blown away with the wind. They remnant of the past was a rusty buster sword that stuck out of the ground.

Shazz laid a gentle hand upon the handle. "Can you believe it Zack, I'm getting married! I can honestly tell you that I've never been this happy." He eyes drifted towards the heavens. "You'll be there won't you? I mean, I did come all this way to deliver a personal invitation?" She kept watching the skies in hopes that a sign would appear, but nothing happened. She let out a heavy sigh and her eyes became downcast.

"Are you ok?" asked Cloud as he came up behind her.

"Yeah, it's just that, I thought that since the today was really important, you might do something to let me know I had his blessing."

Cloud stood by her side and looked up at the still sky. "He has been rather quite lately, which is not like him, but I guess this just means that he is truly at rest." He put an arm around her and pulled her close. "I bet, when you least expect it, he'll make his presence known. After all, this may be the last time the three of us will be together."

Shazz looked up at him with utter disbelief, "Is that what you think is going to happen? Yes, I'm getting married but that doesn't mean I'm going to cut you out of my life."

"But you'll be wanting to start a family and…"

"You are my family Cloud and Tseng is just becoming a part of it. If we happen to be blessed by the pitter patter of little feet, then I wouldn't want to raise them without their Uncle Cloud."

He smiled and it made his whole face soften. Uncle Cloud had a nice ring to it. "Well, in that case, here's a little something to sweeten the deal." He handed her a small white box.

Shazz took and eagerly removed the lid. "Oh my god! Cloud, this is beautiful!" She pulled out a sparkling silver necklace that had a sapphire pendant that was cut into the shape of a heart.

Cloud helped her put it on, "I saw this in a window of a little boutique and when the sunlight hit it, it reminded me of Zack's eyes."

Shazz held the gem to the sun's rays. The light made the jewel sparkle with a million shades of blue and she could feel the lump in her throat begin to form. Cloud was right, Zack's eyes would shine just as brilliant as this sapphire pendant.

Cloud smiled as he watched his friend marvel at the jewel. "I take it from your lack of words that you either really like the gift, or you just realized that I was right this time."

A tear ran down her cheek, "You stupid boy, look what you've done." Before Cloud had the chance to respond, he felt Shazz crush her body against his in a loving embrace. "Thank you."

They stood there for a moment in front of that sword and allowed the sun's warm light to consume them. It was bittersweet to stand there and know that they had finally moved on with their lives, happy lives, but lives they had always thought Zack would be a part of.

Shazz finally broke the embrace, brushed away her tears, and replaced them with a smile. "So I guess, this takes care of new and blue part huh?"

Cloud nodded his head, "Speaking of wedding traditions, I need to get you to the church before I end up being bald for the ceremony."


	2. I Do

WOW! That took me forever and day to get posted! i guess it wasn't a good idea to start a story in sept when everyone and everything seems to be so busy, but then i again, i'm the one to needlessly complicate things. Anywho, i'd like to welcome my readers back to chapter 2. I'm so blessed to have you all taking your time to read my story! I hope you enjoy chapter 2 and don't feel afraid to scold me on my late updates. I'm so bad at things like that ^_^

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><p>Cloud grunted as he straightened out his tie. He could feel his palms begin to sweat and she smoothed out the lapel of his jacket. He couldn't understand why he was so nervous, it wasn't like he was the one getting married.<p>

He peeked through the white curtains the draped over the arch way of the old church. He had to admit that Reno and Rude did a good job at restoring the church. They managed to replace the broken stained glass windows, put in new floor boards, and even set up new pews. However, credit for the decorations went to someone else and anyone in attendance could tell who it was as well. Yellow and white lilies lined up along the pews to indicate the aisle in which Shazz would walk down. They also seemed to be growing everywhere they needed to be, as if nature itself had been preparing for this day.

The only part of the church was left alone was the roof. Shazz had wanted it to be left open because she wanted to be sheltered by the open blue sky and for the sun to be their only source of light.

A string quartet began to play as the guests started to take their seats. The guest list was small, only close family and friends were in attendance. Cloud watched the people coming him and winced when Rufus Shinra took his seat. He hadn't fully forgiven Rufus for what he did to Shazz. The memory of him assaulting her still hovered around in his mind, but Shazz had told him that she had made her amends and he had to respect her decision.

"Cloud" he turned around to face the voice that was calling him. His eyes widened to take in the sight of the bride that was standing before him. Her strapless down flowed to the floor as her bodice dazzled with intricate beading that cascaded in be beautiful designs down her skirt. Her brown hair fell in graceful curls past her shoulders and veil was fastened to head with a shimmering headband.

"Oh my….Shazz, you're a vision." He reached out and enfolded her in his arms.

"Thanks Cloud, but you're crushing my bouquet."

"Oh sorry." He quickly let her go and looked down to make sure her bouquet of lilies was still intact. She looked at him and giggled. She had never seen Cloud dressed so formally before and it was apparent that he wasn't too used to either. She reached out for his tie and began to straighten it.

"My goodness Cloud, did you get into a fight with your tie?"

"Oh…I…no…I just…I guess I was too nervous to tie it properly."

The music changed as the bridesmaids and groomsmen began to take their places next to the altar. Tifa, Yuffie, and Marlene were standing up with Shazz and Rude, Reno, and Denzel were standing up with Tseng. The ladies were wearing flowing blue gowns that hung from one shoulder while the guys wore tuxes with matching ties and cummerbunds. Shazz had it arranged for them to walk in from the side rather than down the aisle. She feared that Yuffie might cut Reno if she had to link arms with him and blood was not a color she had for her wedding.

The time was drawing closer and Cloud took in a deep breath to calm himself.

"Cloud, pull it together. If anyone should be nervous it should be me."

"I know, but, I always thought when this day would come, Zack would have been the one to give you away. I just hope that I'm up to the task."

Shazz smile and shook her head. "Well if it helps you at all, my first choice still would have been you."

Cloud's breath hitched at Shazz's confession and a faint pink hue appeared on his cheeks. "Really? Why?"

"Are you kidding me? If Zack were to walk me down the aisle, he would have continued walking right past the altar and right outside. Even if it meant punching a hole through the back wall."

They both laughed because they knew the statement was true. Cloud let out a sigh as a smile remained perched on his lips. "You're right, I could definitely see him doing something like that, but to be honest, I believe he would be happy for you." He looked at Shazz and even though there was a smile, his eyes betrayed a kind of seriousness. "I know it was hard for him to accept you dating but, he just never thought any guy was good enough. I mean, he was around guys all the time at Shinra and he heard how they would talk about women and it was hard for him to trust that they would treat you well. But Tseng was a good friend to him so I'm sure Zack would have approved. I mean he did trust him to take care of you in his absence didn't he?"

Shazz nodded as she brushed away a tear as it started to fall. They smiled at each other and in that moment a sense of peace surrounded them. However, it was quickly interrupted when a familiar march began to play. Cloud held out his arm for you, "Are you ready?"

She took his arm excitedly and looked forward. The white curtain was pulled open and they took the first steps towards their future.

As they got closer to the altar, Shazz's eyes locked with Tseng's. The smile on his face and the light emitting from his eyes let her know that he was just as happy as she was.

Cloud and Shazz stopped as the pastor stepped forward. He was an older gentleman with short grey hair that was obviously receding. He had a pair of soft hazel eyes that were cover with thin framed classes. He had a stocky build to him and his face was round and almost jolly looking.

"Who is it that gives this woman to be married to this man?" His voice was husky yet prominent.

"Her friend, Cloud." He turned to Shazz, pulled her close, and kissed her forehead. Tears brimmed in his eyes as she embraced him, but he was careful to not let her see. She let him go as Tseng walked up to Cloud and firmly shook his hand. He then held out in arm to his future wife and together they took their place in front of the pastor.

"Dearly beloved" the pastor began, "We are gathered here today to witness the exchanging of vows that will bind Shazz and Tseng together in the covenant relationship of marriage. To this moment, Shazz and Tseng bring the fullness of their hearts as a treasure to share with one another. They bring dreams that will bind them together and a personality and spirit with is uniquely their own, out of which will grow the reality of their lives together. It is out of deep love and respect for each other that Shazz and Tseng have decided to bind this marriage with vows they have written themselves."

Shazz turned to Tifa, who handed her a ring, and she turned back to face Tseng. She took his hand, squeezed it tight, and peered longingly into his grey eyes.

"Tseng, it seems so surreal to be standing here with you today. I would have never thought that we would be standing here in front of our friends, pledging to spend the rest of our lives together. It's not because circumstances kept me from you or because even because I had two very overprotective friends, it's because of how I've treated you. When I lost Zack, I was beside myself. I was so heartbroken and angry that I began to blame you for his passing. Out of my loneliness, I clung to you and made you risk your job. Out of my stubbornness, I did some very reckless things that put your life in danger. I never once thought about how it would affect you because you seemed to always come back, until the day came that you really didn't. I realized then that I didn't want to ever be without you."

Shazz's voice started to waver and a tear trickled down you cheek. "That day on the bridge when I confessed my feelings, I was so scared that you would reject them, but when you didn't, I didn't know how much love a person could feel and felt like my heart would explode." Shazz then slipped the ring on to his finger. "With this ring, I promise to spend the rest of my life proving to you how truly grateful I am for everything you have done for me. I promise to hold your hand through the good times and to hold you up during the bad times. Tseng, with a loving heart, I take you as my husband and vow to love you until the last breath leaves my body. I love you, forever and always."

Tseng gently brushed away Shazz's tears as a warm smile creased his lips. He turned to Rude, who was still wearing his shades, and took the ring that was held out to him.

"Shasta, it's strange to hear you say that you thought I could never return your feelings when in fact, my feeling began before you realized. Your life at Shinra was nothing less than miserable and becoming friends with Zack and Cloud didn't help matters much, yet you didn't care. Through the adversity, your heart continued to expand and your love for those boys pulled you through the darkness that surrounded you. You stayed strong and defended your friends no matter what the cost and I thought to myself that I wish someone could love me like that. You were amazing to me and taking your anger, drying your tears, and being your shield was all worth it if it meant that I could stay by your side."

He slid the wedding band around her delicate finger and closed his hands around hers. "With this ring, I take you as my beloved wife and I promise to remain by your side come what may. I will continue to dry your tears, to comfort you when you're upset, and to protect you from all harm for as long as I live. I love you Shazz, with the love a pitiful Turk like me could possibly give."

More tears fell as the image of Tseng reflected in her deep chocolate pools. She reached out and touched his cheek and the need to closer to him overwhelmed her. She leaned in closer and her lips just about met his…

"Hmph." The old pastor cleared his throat and Shazz immediately pulled away. "I believe I get make this call."

"Oops, sorry." She blushed as she took a step back. The congregation started to laugh and there were even a few encouraging howls, mostly from Cid.

The pastor only smiled and continued on with the ceremony. "With the blessing of all those who have gathered and the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. NOW, you may kiss the bride."

Cheers erupted as Tseng and Shazz shared their first kiss as husband and wife. Cloud stood up to applaud the new couple, but as soon as he clapped his hands together, it felt like a tidal wave had washed over the entire room. Everything was moving in slow motion and sounds of bubbling water surrounded him. He looked over at Tseng and Shazz and it seemed that there was an image standing next to Shazz. He rubbed his eyes to try and make out the hazy image but he couldn't quite make out who or what it was. Suddenly a pair of golden wings appeared and something whispered _"believe" _in his ear.

Within a blink of an eye, all had returned to normal. Everyone began to through petals into the air as Tseng and Shazz made their way down the aisle and towards the archway.

"Hey Spiky!" said Barret as he nudged Cloud with his elbow. "You alright?"

Cloud was definitely spacing out. He was trying to make sense of what had just happened but there was nothing coming to him.

"Yo, Cloud!"

He shook his head clear and looked up at Barret. "Oh yeah, sorry Barret. I just saw…something."

"You still seeing his spirit?"

"Uhhhh maybe…I don't know. It might have been Zack."

"Well you best get your head out of the clouds my friend or you're gonna miss your chance to say good-bye."

Cloud looked towards the Archway and noticed that everyone had gathered to say congratulations to the new couple. He ran towards the open doors and pushed his way to the front of the crowd. There he saw a jet black limo with tented windows to take the newlyweds to their honeymoon.

"Shazz!"

She turned and smiled when she say it was Cloud that was yelling for her. Without hesitation, she ran to him and threw her arms around him. "Thank you Cloud, thank you for everything."

"Shazz I…" he wanted to tell her what had happened to him after the ceremony but he hesitated. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Tseng walking toward him. He looked down at Shazz who was looking up at him with such joy and he lost his train of thought. "I…I just wanted to wish you a safe trip and that I'm truly happy for you."

"Cloud" Tseng held out his hand and Cloud shook it firmly.

"Take good care of her Tseng."

"With my life."

Shazz kissed Clouds cheek. "I'll see you when I get back."

The blonde sighed as he waved good-bye to Shazz. He didn't like to watch her go but he was happy that she was finally moving on. Perhaps that was the reason he decided not to tell her about the incident in the church. She was starting a new chapter and there was no need to dampen this occasion with something that probably wasn't even that big of a deal. It was mostly likely just the visage of Zack coming to give Shazz his blessing.

He felt small fingers start to interlock with his and it snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked down to see Marlene waving excitedly as Shazz and Tseng got into the limo. "Good-bye Shazz!" she shouted "Don't worry; I'll take good care of Cloud while you're away. Have fun building sandcastles!"

This made Cloud raise an eyebrow. "Sandcastles?"

His vision was suddenly blurred as a bouquet of flowers smacked him right in the face. He watched as it fell to the ground and when he looked up there was a very annoyed Yuffie glaring at him.

"I didn't know what else to say! GOD!" She stomped out of site, leaving Cloud there in an utter state of confusion.

He looked to his right and noticed Tifa was laughing. "Do you mind explaining what the hell that was all about?"

She practically danced over to him and whispered in his ear, "Perhaps you'd like to explain to Marlene what a honeymoon is for?"


	3. Honeymoon

Hi ya loves! did i do better with updating...i mean i feel like it was sooner than the last chapter i posted, but maybe that's just me ^_^. well here is chapter 3! Please enjoy

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><p>The sun was starting to set in Costa del Sol and the sky was painted in brilliant purples, oranges and pinks. The warm salty ocean breeze jostled the palm trees and the ocean's gentle waves was the only noise that could be heard as Shasta and Tseng reached their private cabana on their own secluded part of the beach.<p>

Shazz ran to the door and practically ripped the handle right off the door trying to get inside. She was too eager to start her vacation to worry about anything as tedious as unlocking a door.

As she entered into the Cabana, her yes glittered with amazement at the interior. The place was so much bigger than any hotel she had ever been too. It came with a living room, a bathroom complete with shower and whirlpool Jacuzzi, a kitchen, and most importantly, a humongous master bedroom. There was also a sliding glass door that led out to shaded patio that had a great ocean view.

Tseng eventually made his way into the cabana after he was made to carry in the luggage. He sat it all down by the door way and smiled as he watch Shazz run from room to room as if she was a kid in a toy store with a blank check.

"Tseng come in here!" Her whimsical voice beckoned him to the master bedroom. When he entered he noticed that it had been decorated to welcome the newlyweds. The lamps were on a dimmer switch that was set pretty low and rose petals were strewn across the champagne colored sheets. There were also scented candles that were place around the room and a basket of bath salts, bubble bath, and various other toiletries was sitting on top of the dresser.

"This place is amazing!" she exclaimed as he spun around the room "There's just so much I wanna do. Oh, you know what we should do? We should go out to eat, take a romantic moonlight walk across the beach, and then…"

Shazz wasn't paying attention and she had backed up into Tseng. She was about to turn around an apologize, but she felt her hair being brushed away from the back of her neck. Chills traveled down her spine as she felt Tseng's breath on her skin and heat rushed to her cheeks when she felt his lips press against the nape of her neck.

"My goodness…" but she could barely finish her sentence because Tseng's lips started to make their way up her swan like neck up to her earlobe. "Wha…what are you doing?"

"Starting the honeymoon." His voice was like velvet as he whispered in her ear.

"Does it have to be right now? We have this place for a week."

"And your point?'

"But…" she gulped as the zipper on the back of her dress was being pulled down "it's been such a long day, aren't you tired?'

"Not really, are you?"

"A little."

"Being a little tired is ok." Her dress fell to the floor and the gasp that left those luscious lips made Tseng's hair stand on end in excitement. She was wearing nothing but a skimpy white slip and the lacey garter that was on her thigh. He wanted her, craved her, and all his being acted on impulse. He grabbed her, turned her roughly, and his body radiated such in intense heat that Shazz began to tremble. "By the end of this night my darling, I will have completely exhausted you."

He could feel the protest in her body as it tensed but couldn't stop the rush of passion that was rioting within him. He crushed her to himself and his lips met hers immediately . But the taste was of her lips wasn't enough to pacify his thirst. He needed more. His lips massaged her jaw as they made their way down her throat.

"What has gotten into you?" came her breathy question.

God how Tseng didn't want to talk. Just the slightest movement of her lips made him what to kiss her again and again, but he managed to pull away from the temptation away from her naked skin to reply "Now that you're my wife, I don't have to hold back."

"Hold back? I didn't think you had anything to hold back. When we where dating, I always had to start everything."

Tseng swept Shazz up in his arms and carried her over to the bed. He playfully tossed her on top of the sheets and before she could even think about slipping way, Tseng had one knee on the bed and was lifting one of her legs in the air. His smile dripped with sin as eyes devoured the image of her on top of the bed as the rose petals clung to her body.

"Of course I let you start our little trysts" he purred as he rested her foot on his shoulder and started to loosen his tie, "I promised Cloud and your other body guards that I would be a gentleman. If they knew you were the one engaging in such naughty things, I wouldn't get in trouble."

He started to run a hand down Shazz's leg all the way down to her inner thigh. He lips soon followed the trail that his hand had blazed until they were stopped by her garter. His teeth, ever so gently, grazed her skin as he took the garter into his mouth and slowly slipped it off her leg. Shazz could feel the weight on the bed shift as Tseng started to crawl on top of her. The way his eyes burned into her as he started to remove his shirt made her nervous and she could really feel her face start to flush with fever,

"My my Shazz, are you blushing?"

She quickly turned her head to try and hide it. "Sh…shut up! I'm not used to this ok. I liked being the one in charge."

Shazz could hear something hit the floor and she knew it was his shirt. The heat of his flesh was dangerously close but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. She knew if she did she would submit to him. But Tseng placed a finger under her chin and coaxed her to look up. She could see the hunger behind those grey eyes and heat in her face grew as well as the exquisite feeling between her legs.

"Don't ever hide the look from me." he cooed as he brushed his thumb across her lower lip, "It's so beautiful." He tilted her chin up so that his lips would meet his. His kiss was demanding and Shazz could feel her wall coming down. She couldn't fight it anymore and her body yielded to his touch. Tseng could feel the shift in power and pulled Shazz closer that her body melted into his. "Now my love, I'm going to show you what you've been missing. I'm not sure if I'll get to them all, but we'll see how much we can fit in this week."

* * *

><p>Shazz yawned as she stretched out her entire body as she awoke to a room full of sunshine. A sweet ocean breeze wafted into the bedroom and she smiled contently knowing that she was married to the love of her life. She rolled over to kiss her husband good morning only to find that the space beside her was vacant. Normally, this might have upset a newly wed, but she was used to waking up and finding him gone. He was always such an early riser and Tseng knew she was not a morning person so he let her sleep.<p>

She could hear the ocean waves outside her window and that was enough to get her out of bed. She threw her hair up in a ponytail and put on her pink bikini. When she stepped outside the bedroom, she noticed that the sliding glass door was open and Tseng was lounging outside in khaki shorts. He was reading the newspaper and was sipping on a bottle of beer.

"Hey honey," she said as she walked out on to the patio "isn't it a bit early to be having a drink?"

Tseng looked up from his paper and smiled. "Well darling, it's actually two in the afternoon."

Shazz glanced at the clock that was above the stove and sure enough, the clock read 2:03 pm. She pouted for a little bit because she couldn't believe that she wasted her day, but it was short lived as she ripped the paper out of her husband's hands. He looked at her bewildered but she didn't care. She grabbed his hand and pulled him on to his feet.

"Come on, we're going to the beach."

"Right now? Don't you want to at least eat something first?"

"We'll find a place to eat" she said as she drug him off the patio and on to the golden sands of Costa del Sol. "I don't want to waste the day because apparently you've already called dibs on the nights."

Tseng chuckled as he match her pace. Their hands interlocked as they strolled along the sandy coast and let the waves was over their feet. They were wrapped up in their own little word as they walked that they didn't even realize that they had left their secluded beach and was entering into the public area. It wasn't until that they heard people talking behind them that they stopped and took notice of where they were.

They glanced behind them and spied two surfers were staring at them.

"They better not be checking you out." Tseng said as he scowled at the young men

"Maybe it's you they're gawking at?"

Tseng arched an eyebrow. "It frightens me that your mind goes there."

"Well you're a very pretty guy, you're bounds to get some stares."

"Hey you guys?" The shouts from the two surfer interrupted their arguing. They waited as the two young men ran up to meet them. They didn't look to be more than 19 and both had very slender and tight bodies.

"Can I help you?" ask Tseng, not even bothering to hide his irritation.

As the came closer, Shazz was able to get a better look at them. One guy had dirty blonde hair that was pulled back in a bandana. He tan skin made his crystal blue eyes pop and he was only wearing a pair of red trunks. He friend was a few inches taller with beautiful olive skin and straight jet black hair. He aquamarine eyes sparkled and he seemed to be a bit of a goof, at least, that was what Shazz thought when she saw his bright yellow trunks that had pineapples on them.

" Hey uhhhh…are you like…the honeymoon couple that is staying at one of the beach houses?" asked the blonde beach bum.

"Yes" Tseng answered with suspicion "How do you know that?"

"Oh uh…well, my and my friend here work for the resort. My name is Sky and my friends name is Anai."

"I'm Tseng and this is my wife Shazz." She smiled as she waved to the two young men. Anai smiled at her and she could since something wicked in his toothy grin. Tseng could since it too and he stepped in front of Shazz. "So what can I do for you young gentleman?"

"Oh no man, we just wanted to meet you." Sky said with a smile that matched his friend's.

"Yeah dud, it's nice to put a face to all the sounds." Anai high fived Sky and they both laughed like two frat house brothers.

"Excuse me?" Tseng's nose crinkled in confusion.

"Well you see" Anai continued, " Sky and I were supposed to deliver you a complimentary bottle of champagne but when he got to your place, we were hearing screams so loud that the windows were shaking."

"Yeah dude! You were driving that chick insane! You've got to give us some pointers bro!"

Shazz was mortified. There couldn't of possibly been a more embarrassing moment than this, but apparently she was wrong. She wanted to just bury her head in the sand when she saw that Tseng was enjoying the accolades. She watched in horror as her husband was raising his hand to give the boys a high five. She couldn't take it. She grabbed her husband's arm and ran as far away as she could from those boys.

They finally stopped underneath a palm tree and they were both trying to catch their breath. As soon as Shazz recovered, she punched Tseng in the arm.

"OW! What was that for?"

"Are you kidding me? What we do behind closed doors is nobody's business but ours."

"Well to be fair honey, your screams made it public."

"Oh real mature Tseng. What are you, seventeen?"

"You make me feel like I am."

Shazz rolled her eyes and popped him in the arm again. She couldn't stay mad at him when he had such a goofy grin on his face. "Fine, enjoy your moment, but just know that there will be payback."


	4. Cracks in the Foundation

Whoa! Hold on to your your pants readers because i just update in like...one day! Ohhhhhh the maddness of it all! ^_^ anywho, I thought I'd better because It might be awhile before i can again and i promise it won't be too long. Enjoy chapter 4 ^_^

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><p>"Tseng is this really necessary?" Shazz asked as she fidgeted with the blind fold.<p>

"Would you stop messing with that. I told you no peeking." As soon as they arrived back in Midgar, Tseng was insistent about the blind fold. He had told her that he had a big surprise for her, but they had been driving for a while and she could no longer hear the sounds of the bustling city.

They could hardly believe that they were only in Costa del Sol for week, because it only felt like days. The skin was now a beautiful bronze color from the hours they spent in the sun and they became surprisingly limber from the hours they spent in the bedroom.

The car came to a stop and Tseng wasted no time in getting out of the car. He opened Shazz's door, guided her out, and shut the door. He slipped a hand around her waist and helped her to walk forward. Shazz's stomach was churning in anticipation. By the sounds and smells around her, she knew she was far from the city. There were birds singing everywhere and the smell of fresh cut grass and fresh air was wafting past her nose.

Finally she felt Tseng untie the blindfold. "Welcome home Shazz."

She gasped as she felt the tears brimming in her eyes. She was standing in from of a stone walk way that lead to the front door of a newly built cottage that was once her childhood home.

"Oh Tseng, this…this is my home! When did you…"

"We knew that his place was destroyed when the meteor hit, so Reno, Rude, Rufus, and I pulled together and rebuilt it as a wedding present for you." He pick his wife up and started to walk towards the front door. "Shall I carry you across the threshold my dear."

He maneuvered around and managed to open the front door that led right into the kitchen. The cream colored walls gave it a warm feel and the antique cabinets and oak floors made it more homey. He sat Shazz on the ground and she went to look at the living room. There was a big puffy beige couch and a matching arm chair that sat upon a floral rug. A humble brick fireplace in the corner of the room and the sheer curtains that hung in the window made the place seem almost whimsical.

"I love it!" she exclaimed as she ran back to his side and kissed him. "I couldn't have imagined a better home."

"Just wait until you see the upstairs." He took her up the stair and into the main bedroom. It was decorated in soft natural colors with blue accents. The vintage metal framed bed sat in the middle of the room and two square windows on the east side had a breath taking few of the Midgar country side.

"As an extra surprise" Tseng continued, "There are some extra bedrooms, you know, incase you wanted to start a family."

Shazz smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck "You know Tseng, you becoming all domesticated is becoming a turn on."

"Really? Than should I take this as a sign that we should test out the new mattress?"

"Maybe later, but I kind of wanted to visit…"

"Cloud is coming over for a little house warming party."

"Well don't you have everything figured out." Tseng guided her towards the bed with an insistent kiss. "You know, I thought that when we returned to Midgar, I'd got back to wearing the pants in this relationship."

"Why, you look so much better without them."

* * *

><p>She was swimming again, but this time she felt the need to break the surface was much more urgent. Whatever it was that was following her was drawing closer. She kicked her legs faster and faster and eventually made her way out of the murky waters. She could see the moonlight rippling across the surface and hope overwhelmed her. She used what strength she had left to try and break through but as her fingertips brushed the air above the water, something grabbed her leg.<p>

She fought to get rid of the grip this thing had on her, but her strength was depleting. Suddenly a voice pierced through the water and she felt her body become paralyzed. Even though the water garbled all around her, she could hear this voice as clear as day.

"_Stop resisting and just come to me"_

The seductive timbre of that voice made her want to do just that, but the fear in her was just too over powering and she began to cry out for Tseng. Her screams became louder and she felt her body start to tremble.

"LET GO! LET GO OF ME!" she kept screaming.

"Shazz! Shazz!" She could hear her name being called over and over again and her body couldn't seem to stop shaking. She finally opened her eyes to find Tseng was holding her and she could feel the cold sweat all over her body. "Shazz, are you alright?"

Shazz looked around the room and noticed the sun peeking through the curtains. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her neck was stiff and sore. She figured Tseng must have been shaking her pretty hard in order to wake her up.

"Shazz." He called her name again and she looked up to find concerned eyes fixated on her.

"Oh…Tseng…yeah I'm ok. It was just a bad dream."

"Just a bad dream? Honey, you were screaming bloody murder, don't tell me it's just a dream."

"Fine than it was a nightmare. I'm sorry that if I scared but I'm fine, really. What time is it."

Tseng wasn't completely buying it, but has her husband, he gave her the benefit of a doubt that she wouldn't lie about something that was really bothering her. "It's a quarter after eight."

"In that case I better get going. There is a lot to do before our guests arrive." She gave him a reassuring kiss that she thought of it nothing more than dream and she got out of bed to get ready for the day.

* * *

><p>Shazz sat out some sandwiches and made a big picture of lemonade. She didn't get to particularly dressed up for the occasion. She just threw on a pair of jean shorts, a light green fitted tee, and her brown hair hung in waves down to the middle of her back. Tseng didn't even bother to put on a suit and just wore jeans and form fitting black shirt.<p>

When the doorbell rang, Shazz stopped what she was doing and ran to answer it. She flung the door open excitedly, but her enthusiasm disappeared when she saw Reno and Rude standing in the doorway.

"Well hello to you too." Reno said sarcastically.

Shazz smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." As a means of apology, she did something unexpected and hugged both of the men and welcomed them to her home. They walked over to Tseng and shook his hand.

As Tseng was showing them to the living room, Shazz's ears perked up when she heard the familiar rumble of a motorcycle engine. She watched as Cloud pulled up and parked his bike and as soon as he got off, she took off in a dead sprint towards him. Tifa, who was riding on the back of the bike, managed to side step the stampeding and laughed as she leapt into Cloud's arms, knocking him down on the ground.

Reno was watching from the window and he couldn't help but snicker. "How does it make you feel to watch your wife throwing herself at another man?"

Tseng just smiled. "Oh Cloud's not a another man, he's just Cloud." He patted his friend on the shoulder and went to greet Tifa and Cloud at the door.

After all pleasant formalities were exchanged, the all sat down and enjoyed a good meal and good conversation. It was the first time in years that the line that once divided them was completely erased and all the tension and anger was all left in the past. The future looked promising.

The afternoon sun began to sink lower in the sky and Shazz realized that the lemonade and snacks were beginning to run low. "I'll be right back to refresh everything." She picked up the pitcher and headed towards the kitchen.

"Do you need any help?" Tseng offered.

"Oh no, I'm fine, and besides, you know how I like doing things for you master."

"Master?" everyone said simultaneously.

Shazz feigned embarrassment. "Oh, sorry guys. That was just a little game me and Tseng like to…"

"Alright honey, that lemonade isn't going to make itself." His face was completely red as she softly shoved Shazz into the kitchen.

She giggled as she sat the pitcher in the sink to rinse it out. She did warn him that there would be payback for that incident at the beach and what better revenge then to have him explain to Cloud what that outburst was about.

She turned on the faucet and as the water began to run, she could feel her head begin to hurt. She thought she might be getting a headache so she started to search the cabinets for some aspirin, but the pain was getting worse. The sound of the water was starting to grind on her so she quickly shut it off and set the pitcher on the counter.

Suddenly there was an acute buzzing noise in her ear that made brace herself against the counter. It sounded like someone had put a microphone too close to a speaker and her headache was beginning to feel more like a jackhammer.

"_Stop resisting me Shazz. Let go and come to me." _It was that voice again. The same one from her dream, only now it was swirling around in her head while she was awake.

"No!" her subconscious screamed "Leave me alone!"

"_Don't be foolish child. Don't you see how this hurts you so. Please give in and this can all be over quickly."_

Yes, the pain was immense, but she wasn't just going to give in. She had no idea who or what this thing wanted from her and she wasn't about to find out.

The sound of shattering glass could be heard in the living room and everyone got up from their seats to investigate. When the reached the kitchen, the saw the pitcher of water broken upon the floor and an unconscious Shazz laying in a puddle of water.

"Oh god Shazz!" Tseng rushed to her side and checked her pulse. "She's still breathing."

"Thank God." Cloud said as he got down on his knees beside her and cradled her head in his hands. "Come on Shazz, wake up! Please wake up!"

Brown eyes slowly fluttered open and you could hear the sigh of relief echo throughout the kitchen.

"Shazz, are you alright?"

"I…I…I think so." She put a hand to her forehead to try and stop the room from spinning. "Why…why am I all wet?"

Tseng picked her up off the ground and told Tifa to grab a towel out of the bathroom. He brought Shazz into the living room and laid her down on the couch. Tifa came over and began to dab at her wet skin.

Shazz was still feeling pretty light headed and she couldn't fully understand what had happened. The last she remember was fighting against the voice that was trying to pull her in and the next she knew she felt like someone had sucked all the energy out of her and she woke up in puddle of water.

She felt a hand on her cheek and it snapped her back into reality. She was looking into the grey eyes of her husband and felt the presence of many other eyes on her.

"Shazz, what happened?" came Tseng's worried voice

"I…I don't know. I guess I was just tired."

"No, it's more than that."

"Tseng, I'm sure this is noth…"

"Don't you dare say it's nothing." He took her face in booth of his hands and his eyes were locked on to hers. "Can't you feel it Shazz? Your whole body is trembling and the tears won't stop falling, so don't you even try to convince me that it's nothing."

Cloud walked up behind Tseng and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. He could see that he was a nervous wreck and if he pushed any harder, he feared he would frighten Shazz. Tseng caught on to Cloud's subtle plea and took a minute to compose himself. Cloud got down on his knees beside Shazz and took her hand into his. "I've been you're friend for years, so I can tell that something is bothering you. You don't have to try and protect us. If it's bad news, we'll deal with it together."

Shazz took a minute to think things over. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell them, she just wasn't sure if they would believe her. She feared that they would all think that she was crazy that feared that someone was trying to snatch her right out of her dreams.

"Fine, I'll tell you." She sighed heavily as she prepared herself to try and a make sense of the mess that was swirling in her head. " It all started a couple weeks after Geostigma was wiped out. I started having these dreams and at first they consisted of nothing more than me standing next to this beautiful pool of water. Then I found myself jumping in and swimming towards the bottom. The deeper I got, the darker the water became. I started to become scared so I turned around and started to swim back to the surface. Then I could feel something chasing me, trying to pull me back under. Every dream I could feel it coming closer and closer and last night, it called out to me"

Shazz looked around the room and the blank looks on all the faces made her feel about as low as a person could get. The tears were streaming down her face but she came too far to stop now. "While in the kitchen, I heard its voice again. It was telling me to let got and to come to it and the scary thing is, I can feel myself wanting to give in. I fear that the next time I fall asleep, I'll finally succumb to the voice and I'll never wake back up."

Although she felt relieved to get all that off her chest, she was could tell that she was the only one in the room that felt a little lighter. She knew it, everyone must of thought she had gone completely off her rocker. Then she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and someone pressed their lips to her forehead. She looked up to see the loving and accepting expression from her husband.

"Does this mean that you believe me?" she asked timidly.

"Of course I do." he kissed her again, "Why don't you just get some rest and we'll clean up the mess in the kitchen."

She nodded her head and closed her eyes. Tifa took a seat in the chair and told the guys that she would stay here and keep an eye on Shazz while they were in the kitchen.

The four men walked into the kitchen and Tseng got a broom and began to sweep up the broken glass. It was amazing the Shazz didn't get sliced up when she landed on the ground with all the shards that he was catching in his broom. Rude got a mop and began to soak up all the water on the floor.

"So, what does everyone think about what just happened?" asked Tseng as he swept the glass into a dust pan.

"I, for one, believe her." All eyes were on Cloud who was pacing back and forth. "I'm not just saying that as a friend. I haven't told anyone this, but at the wedding I saw something standing behind Shazz. At the time I thought it might have been Zack but I heard someone whisper _believe. _Maybe it was that thing trying to reach out and tell us something."

Tseng nodded his head as he dumped the shards into the trash. "I don't doubt what you're saying is the truth. Even if it sounds far fetched, her tears were real enough for me. Something is definitely scaring her."

"The only question is" said Rude in a calm tone of voice, "How do you combat something that you can't even see." The room became quiet as they all began to contemplate a solution.

"I don't mean to offend anyone" said Reno as he nervously scratched the back of his head. "but maybe we should consider checking her into a hospital?"

"Like in a padded cell?" shouted Cloud.

"No nothing like that. Look, this thing is coming after her when she sleeps and now it is proving that it can reach her when she is awake. This just means that someone should be around her to make sure that she is able to wake up. I mean, we can't all be around her 24/7"

"Who says we can't?" Tseng said with a very serious tone

"That's right. Shazz can just come to work at the bar with me during the day while you're at work and at night, you can make sure she sleeps peacefully."

Tseng was about to agree to the plan when he heard someone shouting no. Everyone looked towards the living room doorway to see Shazz leaning up against the wall, trying to keep her balance. "Shazz, you should be resting!"

"No, I can't rest, not when you're all in here talking about me. I appreciate you all wanting to help me, but I think Reno is right."

Cloud was beginning to rethink his "Shazz isn't crazy" theory. "Shazz, we can handle this."

"I don't want you handle it. This is something that is beyond our control and until we can figure this all out, I will not have you giving up your lives to keep me under surveillance. It's not fair and I wouldn't feel right if I allowed this. So please, just bring me to a hospital."


	5. Unsteady Ground

_I'm not afraid of the distance  
><em>_The shadow I left behind  
>I'm not ashamed to look my fear in the eye<br>I will embrace the emotion, pain will disappear  
><em>_Holding your face in my hands  
>I will wipe away your tears<em>

Lyrics from "Desire of Ages" by Sleepthief. I don't know but somehow i felt it fit this chapter. Please enjoy loves! ^_^

* * *

><p>Tseng tied the back of Shazz's hospital gown and helped her to get settled into bed. Meanwhile, Cloud was sitting in the a rather comfy burgundy arm chair that sat next to the bed. In fact, the whole room didn't much look like a hospital room at all. Tseng had called Rufus with the news about what was happening to Shazz and he pulled strings to get her into one of the private rooms that was on the upper levels of the hospital. If it wasn't for the medical equipment, this room could of doubled as her own bedroom,<p>

However, this show wasn't enough to impress Cloud. No matter how many times Shazz told him that this was so much better than any padded cell, he still didn't like the fact that she was there. He tapped his foot impatiently upon the linoleum as he waited for Shazz's appointed physician to show up. He had sent Tifa back home to take care of Denzel incase he would be staying late and Reno and Rude just went back because they felt that only Tseng and Cloud should be the ones there.

Suddenly the door opened and both men stood at attention as if the General had just entered the room. A man in a white lab coat entered with two female nurses. He was an older gentleman with salt and pepper hair. He had a bit of a stocky build and few inches shorter than Tseng and Cloud.

He walked up to them and introduced himself. "My name is Dr. Kato and I will be Shasta's personal physician." He shook their hands firmly and moved his way towards his patient. He took a look at his clip board for a moment and nodded his head as if he understood what the papers were telling him. "So Shasta…"

"You can call me Shazz." she interrupted. She figured since they would be spending a lot of time together, he might as well call her by Shazz.

"Very well, Shazz, it says here that you haven't been sleeping well and just recently you fainted." Shazz nodded her head and he continued with questions. " This also says that your head hurts severely and that you fear if you fall asleep you won't be able to wake up. Is this all correct."

Shazz nodded her head again, but more shyly. She was embarrassed to have to admit all this to a doctor, but to her amazement, he just looked at her with a reassuring smile. "Very well then, I think there are a few things I can do to help this situation." He looked to his nurses and with a single nod of his head, they went to work hooking Shazz up to some monitoring devices.

"What's going on?" Cloud asked as his eyes loomed over the wires that seemed to be covering his friend.

Dr. Kato just smiled. He was used to concerned family members so it was no problem for him to explain what he was doing. "Well this machine is just going to monitor her brain activity and these two over here will monitor her breathing and her heart rate."

Shazz looked half heartedly at the wires. She felt like she was an old potato that had just sprouted roots. Dr. Kato noticed and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Shazz, this isn't on a 24 hours basis."

She was relieved to hear that, but Tseng and Cloud were a different story.

"So what's the plan doctor?" Tseng asked. He stood there, arms folded across his chest, and practically glaring at Dr. Kato.

"Well, I'd like to keep her here for a week and run a series of neurological and psychological test, just to make sure that there isn't any abnormalities."

"Well let me just save you some time." Cloud started to walk towards Dr. Kato and it looked like he was a about to pick up the poor guy by the collar of his shirt and shake him violently. "There is nothing wrong with her! I can assure you that she's not crazy."

"Sir, I'm not saying she is, but we just have to be able to rule out all possibilities."

" Like I've told you before, there is nothing to rule out! She is fine and I don't need some crack pot Doctor…"

"Cloud!" He looked back and saw Shazz staring at him. "That's enough, Dr. Kato has work that he has to do and maybe it's time that you two left so he can get on with it."

Tseng and Cloud looked at her with gloomy expressions.

"Do you really want me to leave?" Cloud asked in disbelief.

"I can understand if you want him to leave." Tseng said as he moved in closer to his wife. "but do you really want me too?"

"Yes, I want both of you gone. Go home and get some rest because I know that you both will be here every second you can spare during the week. Plus, how is the poor doctor going to get his work done with you two harassing him." They were reluctant to move. Shazz sighed and reached out her hands to both of them. As their hands met, she squeezed them tightly. "It will be ok, I promise."

They didn't fully believe her, but they didn't want to upset her either. They both gave her a quick kiss and said their good byes and promised to come back and see her in the morning.

* * *

><p>As the week passed, Shazz was right in her prediction. Tseng would be in her room bright and early in the morning before he left for work, then Cloud would come in and stay with her for the majority of the afternoon and finally Tseng would come in for the night shift. It was like that everyday, but at week's end Tseng walked in the door of the Seventh Heaven bar.<p>

Cloud looked up from behind the bar and was surprised to see Tseng walking towards him. "What are you doing here?"

Tseng took a seat on a bar stool and sighed heavily. Cloud noticed the bags underneath his eyes and for the first time, he felt sorry for Tseng. He set a glass on the counter and poured Tseng a stiff drink. Tseng reached in his jacket pocket to get out his billfold, but Cloud shook his head. "It's on the house, you look like you could use a drink."

Tseng smiled and gulped down the brown burning liquid. He sat it down and Cloud poured him another one. "Do I really look that bad?" He asked as he eyed the second class of scotch.

"Well, I can tell you haven't really slept in the past seven days."

Tseng let out a little laugh, mostly to hide the fact that he really wanted to cry. "It's hard to sleep when you're used to someone sleeping next to you." He downed his drink again and held the empty glass out to Cloud. He was about to pour him another drink, but Tseng shook his head. Cloud took the glass and started to wash it.

"So why are you here and not at the hospital?" Cloud asked.

"Well I got a call about the test results."

Cloud stopped washing the glass. "And?"

"And you were right, no abnormalities."

Cloud put the glass back underneath the bar and stood in front of Tseng. "That's great, but you don't' seem to be all that excited."

Tseng hung his head. "I know I should be, but a part of me had hoped something would come from the tests. At least I would know what I was dealing with."

"Why would say that? Did something happen?"

"While the tests were being run, Shazz's dreams were getting worse. Dr. Kato told me that it is getting harder and harder to wake her up and she is fainting more frequently. I'm at a loss here Cloud. I don't know what to do."

Cloud could offer no words of comfort, mostly because he had no idea what was going on himself and he was just as scared and confused as Tseng.

Tifa walked in from the kitchen and their heads turned to look at her. "Sorry, I couldn't help but over hear. If there is anything I can do…"

Tseng's cell phone started to ring and he excused himself to go answer it. She walked over to Cloud and gave him a hug. He returned her embrace with gratitude. Tifa always had knack for knowing when words were or weren't needed and right now having her close was enough for him.

"What! When did this happen? I'm coming over now!" Cloud and Tifa could here Tseng shouting across the room and that sent off in alarm within them.

Tseng ran to the bar and panic rose in his eyes. "Cloud, it's Shazz. She fainted a couple of hours ago and no one has been able to wake her up. Dr. Kato has pretty much diagnosed it as a coma."

Cloud turned to Tifa who nodded her head in understanding. "I'll close the bar up tonight, go to her."

He thanked her with a quick nod of his head, grabbed his bike keys, and raced out the door.

* * *

><p>Shazz opened her eyes to a starry night sky above her. Her head was swimming and she felt disoriented. She had no idea how she ended up outside but she knew she better get back to the hospital before Tseng and Cloud found out that she was missing. She reach out for something to grab on to so she could pull herself up, but there was nothing beside her. She slowly rolled over to push herself up off the ground, but to her dismay, there was nothing underneath her either.<p>

The fear in her began to bubble over as she realized that she was just floating in what seemed to be a pool of stars. She felt like she was under water, but she could breath. She just couldn't wrap her mind around it and she started to scream for help.

"TSENG! CLOUD! CAN ANY BODY HEAR ME!" She clawed at the void as if it were a prison and she continuously called out for her husband and friend. "TSENG! CLOUD! CAN YOU HEAR ME? PLEASE, I NEED HELP!"

"_Calm yourself child."_

Shazz froze. She knew that it was the voice calling to her again, but this time, it didn't feel like jut a voice, she felt body to the lucid timbre.

"_Do not fear me dear one, for I love you more than you could ever imagine."_

"L..love me?" Shazz scanned the vacant space for the source of the voice "Wh…what are you talking about? Where are you? WHO ARE YOU!" Shazz's shrill cry tore through the emptiness and a burst of light shot through the darkness.

She had to shield her eyes, but as soon as they were adjusted to new source light, she couldn't even fathom the site of what or who it was that was floating towards her.

It was the most beautiful creature she had ever laid eyes on. The voluptuous curves of the body and ample breast indicated that it was female and her eyes were color of sunsets. Her lily white skin glistened with the brilliance of a thousand stars, her ocean colored hair flowed around like a current, and a pair of regal golden wings gracefully sat upon her shoulders.

Shazz started to back away as the creature approached her, but she could feel something pull at her. It was as if this thing was drawing her in. The figure held out her arms and Shazz, tired of fighting, let herself be embraced. As soon as those arms were wrapped around her, she felt a sense of familiarity. It was like she was a child again and her mother had scooped her up in her arms to comfort her. Shazz couldn't help but weep and she hugged the creature back.

"_There there my child, it's alright now."_

"Why…why do I feel like I know?"

The angel let go of Shazz and gently held her face in her hands. "You've always known me my dear. I am the original creator of this planet, the guardian of the Life Stream, and mother to all living things."

"Jenova?"

The angel shook her head. "Jenova was washed away with the Geostigma. I am Gaia, the true mother and guardian, but you may have known me as _The Goddess._"

Shazz's body stiffened as the sound of that name struck a chord with her. She knew the had heard that name many times, but where? Suddenly the memories of Shinra came flooding back. "Genesis."

The mere mention of his name made the Goddess's smile fade and a look of forlorn was etched upon her ethereal face. "Yes, Genesis. He was such a beautiful tragedy."

Shazz shook her head in disbelief. "How can you say that? Genesis was crazy!"

"Oh Shasta, there is so much that you don't know." With a wave of her hand, Shazz was no longer standing upon the night skies. She was know in a black room where coiling and intertwining neon rays of light were all around them.

"Where are we?" Shazz asked as she gaped at the scenery.

"In the Life Stream, but not to worry, I have a barrier set up around us so it won't consume you."

"Consume me?"

"You are a foreign entity with in the Life Stream and it would seek to make you a part of it."

To Shazz, it was just a nice way of saying that she need to be dead in order to be in the Life Stream. "So why did you bring me here? Why now?"

"It has taken me quite a long time to regain the strength I've once had, but now that my power is back in full force, I was finally able to bring you here and help you to regain the memories you have long since forgotten."

"Forgotten Memories? I'm not sure I follow?"

"Tell me my child, what do you remember about your time at Shinra?"

Shazz was startled. It had been so long since she thought about that place. "I…I don't know a lot about Shinra. That place was always shrouded in secrecy that I doubt I was even supposed to have memories of this place. The only memories I keep with me are the ones of Zack and Cloud."

"Yes, but even those are starting to become hazy. You are moving towards the future and are eager to make new memories with the one you love and you are starting to forget. That's why I've been trying to call out to you Shazz, I need you to remember everything."

Shazz was so confused, how could her memories be of any use to this celestial being? "Look, if you are wanting me to remember something about Shinra Inc so that you can destroy it or something, there is no need. Shinra is no more."

"I don't want to destroy anything Shazz, in fact, I want the complete opposite." She reached out and caresses Shazz's cheek. "I want to create. I want to give back to my planet, give back to my children that have suffered so."

Shazz could feel the love emitting from Gaia's touch and she could feel herself wanting to help. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to see the truth. I want you to see everything that you were never allowed to see and witness all the things you've missed. Then and only then, will you be able to dig down deep inside yourself to find the memories you have kept locked away." The Goddess waved her hand again and a screen appeared before them and a beautiful green and blue orb was spinning on it's axis in front of Shazz. "I think it's best that we start from the beginning, when the planet was at is most rich and fertile. Some of what I'm about to show you might be the much for you to handle, but you mustn't avert you're eyes. I really need you to take it all in. Can you promise me this?"

Shazz swallowed back her fear and nodded her head.

"Very well, let's begin."


	6. Truth

oh my goodness! This was a hard chapter for me to write. My brian hurts from thinking. lol seriously. i wrote like two diffrent versions of this chapter and at the end i sort of combine both versions into this...yeesh! but anyway, i hope you enjoy this chapter, better yet, i just hope it makes sense. I mean i makes sense to me, but then again, i'm sort of nutter butters ^_^

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><p>A huge screen appeared before her and Shazz felt like the was sitting inside a movie theater. In the middle of the screen there was bluish green orb that was slightly tilted and slowly turning. As she moved closer, Shazz realized that it was her own planet, but it looked so different.<p>

"This is what the planet looked like before Shinra found a way to tap into the Life Stream." Shazz marveled at how lush and fertile this blue and green orb looked, but soon the color began to fade and all that was left was this rust colored barren planet that just had patches of green. "This is what it looked like after years of Shinra using up all it's power."

Shazz could hardly believe it. Was this one of the secrets that was kept from her? She did know that Shinra was using the Life Stream and that it was endangering the planet, but she didn't know that it had gotten this worse.

"With the Life Stream nearly gone" the Goddess continued "so was the energy source that had contained all my powers that preserved this planet. It pained me to see all that I had loved die out, but I didn't have the strength to heal anything or anyone. I was desperate, so I called out for help. It was my older sister, Goddess of the Cosmos, Jenova, would be the one that would answer my plea."

Shazz watched as a comet came hurling towards their planet She had to shield her eyes from the cataclysmic light that game from the force from colliding with the planet's surface. "The calamity." Shazz whispered as she started to remember bits and pieces of the conversations she would over hear in corporate.

"Jenova had been monitoring this planet for some time and had become so angry with the greed of the people that had inhabited it. She had made it clear to me that they should be punished and I tried to get her to redirect her anger towards those who caused this mess, but she said it was to late, that this planet was beyond redemption."

"But it was your planet wasn't it? Why should she have the power to dictate what should happen to it?"

"Because Jenova is in charge of the cosmos, she is the creator of planets. I was given this one to watch over, but I am nothing more the keeper of this planet. Jenova watches all. If something in her galaxy is out of control, she has the power to destroy it." The screen changed again as people in biohazard suits started to come to the site and right way they set to work harvesting the cells and putting the remains, her head, into a tube. "When she came to this planet, she had anticipated Shinra's Greed."

"Wait a minute, you mean she knew they were going to extract her cells?"

"The way she figured it, if there were selfish enough to use the Life Stream to power their cities, then why wouldn't they use her cells to better their own kind." The screen changed again to show two little boys playing in a small village. "Do you recognize them?"

Shazz strained her eyes to study the two boys. One boy had brilliant blue eyes with auburn hair and the other had jet black hair with aquamarine eyes. They looked familiar, but she couldn't but a name to the face. She shook her head as she looked back Gaia for answers.

"These two boys were the first in the Jenova project. The first to be injected with Jenova's cells. This two sweet boys, are Angeal and Genesis."

Shazz shook her head. "This can't be? If they were part of the Jenova Project, there would be no way they would be outside of Shinra's walls. I mean, they trained with Sephiroth didn't they? They had to? They were SOLDIER, and just any kind of SOLDIER. They were the best of the best. They ranked right up there with Sephiroth."

"That was just another secret kept from you my dear child. Yes, it is true that Genesis, Angeal, and Sephiroth were all injected with cells before they could even take their first breath, however, one child was showing more promise than the others. Therefore the S project was created and that is why Angeal and Genesis could afford to have a different lifestyle."

"So, this S project, it was strictly focused on Sephiroth? Why? What made him so special?"

"Well, a certain greedy scientist thought it was because of him that made Sephiroth so strong, after all, he did inject the poor child with an obscene amount of Jenova cells. He thought that just because the child took to the cells so well that you had found the perfect specimen, but it was Jenova that allowed her cells to infuse with him. I don't know why she chose that child, maybe because he had so much of her cells in him already, but she picked him to aid her in her revenge on this planet. She allowed the majority of her power to be absorbed in his body."

"But wasn't Jenova just a head at this point? How could she…"

"Jenova is an all powerful celestial being whose immortality can take on different forms."

Shazz put her hands to her head. This was all just to much for her to take in and she felt that her head was going to explode. "But why? Why go through all this trouble to infuse herself to a human? If she was so powerful, why didn't she just snap her fingers and just blow us all to kingdom come?"

"That would have been to easy. She wanted you all to suffer and what better way than to be destroyed by the one person that was created to protect."

The screen changed again to a grown up Genesis sitting on top of one of the Shinra's reactors. Angeal was standing next to him and listening to him as he read from a book. This was the first time that Shazz had ever seen these two up close. Angeal always avoided her as if she were the plague and Genesis was always to busy training to even notice her. "I don't understand, if Jenova had already chosen her champion, why did she continue to have her cells live on in Genesis and Angeal?" She looked back at the Goddess who face was pain.

"Even though the didn't have the strength Sephiroth had, they were still powerful and skilled warriors. She thought that they would be able to aid Sephiroth when her plan took action."

The sound of clashing swords made Shazz turn back around. Genesis and Sephiroth were engaged in battle. At first it looked like they were just training because they both seemed to be smiling. But something changed in Genesis, he started going at Sephiroth with everything he had. Shazz had never witnessed a battle like this before. They were going at each other with such amazing brutal force that she didn't know if she should be impressed or in fear for her life. Genesis then swung his sword, intending to give Sephiroth one fatal blow, but the silvered haired soldier was to strong. He broke Genesis' sword and the piece of shrapnel flew back and cut Genesis in the shoulder.

Out of the corner of her eye, Shazz could see the Goddess standing next to her. Her eyes were fixated on Genesis and she appeared to be crying. Her tears were like liquid diamonds falling down her cheeks.

"You…you really cared for Genesis didn't you?" Shazz asked as she moved closer to Gaia.

"My heart ached for Angeal and Genesis. Because of what Jenova did, they would never be able to surpass Sephiroth. No matter how much they trained or how hard they tried, they would never be better than him. They were nothing more than pawns to Jenova. She could take them or leave them. Maybe it was foolish of me, but I just couldn't let them feel like they were second best. So I stayed in the background of their lives, silently encouraging them to keep trying. Angeal was always so level head and he resigned himself to his fate, but Genesis was a different story. He wanted to be number one. He wanted to be a hero, to be loved and respected by everyone, and he would not stop until he achieved it. This is why Jenova considered him a threat."

Shazz turned to look at Genesis who was holding his shoulder. The look on his face was one of utter disbelief. His shoulder wasn't healing as fast as it used to. "How could Genesis be consider a threat? You said it yourself, he would never be as good as Sephiroth."

"That meant that he would always be challenging Sephiroth. Jenova could not allow her champion to under constant attack and this battle was the last straw. Jenova infected her own cells within Genesis with a virus, causing the…"

"Degradation."

The Goddess nodded her head. "When the degradation set in, I knew Genesis' fate was sealed. He was going to die slowly and painfully. Unfortunately, death would bring him little comfort because I knew Shinra would use is corpse for experiments. I couldn't allow this, so I went to Genesis and told him the truth of his existence. I gave him all the power that I could and goaded him into destroying Shinra. I wanted him to expose Shinra for what it really was and when people looked back, they would think of Genesis as a hero. In exchange, I offered him salvation in the Life Stream."

Shazz could feel her heart start to break. All this time she thought Genesis was just some AWOL soldier hell bent on destroying the world, when all he wanted, was to be considered a hero. To be seen as Genesis and not Sephiroth's sidekick. "Gaia, I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"No Shazz, I'm sorry. I had no idea what my actions would cause." She grabbed Shazz's and pulled her in front of her. Shazz was standing in the middle of the giant screen and the Goddess' hands lay upon her shoulders. The screen now showed the image of a quaint country town. The street light shown on cobblestone roads as thousands of starts graced the black midnight sky. It was a town Shazz had never been too, but somehow, she felt like she should know this place. "I never anticipated what Jenova would do. While Genesis was attacking, Jenova used this time reveal the truth to Sephiroth. As his suspensions grew, so did the power in his Jenova cells. When she felt that her son was ready, she started causing problems in a reactor that would undoubtedly bring him closer."

Without warning, this small little town burst into flames. Shazz started to wonder if she had blinked. It had happened so fast. Shrill cries of pain could be heard as people ran in terror. Blood trickled through the cracks in the cobblestone roads as flames consumed every house in it path. There pool of crimson started to form as it dripped from a magnificent blade that seemed to glow brighter when covered in blood.

"No…" Shazz's stomach started to churn as she started to realize what was going on. "Please…no…I don't want to watch this!" She began to turn away but she felt Gaia's body behind her and her hands squeezed her shoulders. "This is Nibelheim! I can't watch this!"

"Don't avert your eyes. You need to know the truth of what happened here. I need you to understand."

Shazz obeyed and opened her eyes. Her body trembled as she watched glowing green eyes smile as they looked over the blazing town. He cut through the villagers as if they were nothing more than cattle ready for slaughter.

Zack and Cloud were running around, trying to help those that were still alive to safety. Zack gave the order for his men to continue helping while he went after Sephiroth. He ran to the reactor and sliced through the steel door that sealed the public away from Jenova's head. Shazz could feel the disappointment and anger resonating in Zack's voice as he demanded an explanation for this atrocity. There was no recognition in those seething emerald pools and he attacked Zack as if he were nothing more than an eyesore.

Tears streamed down Shazz's cheeks as she tried to reach out for Zack as he lay injured on the cold floor, but she saw a figure running towards Sephiroth and thirsted a buster sword right through his back. A helmet fell to the floor and Shazz could see it was Cloud. He thought he had won and turned to see if Zack was ok, but Sephiroth was stronger than he thought. A scream escaped Shazz's lips as she watched Sephiroth's blade skewer Cloud and lift him off the ground. Her heart broke as Cloud pulled himself towards Sephiroth while the sword was still in him.

Before Shazz could even fully take in all that she had seen, the screen changed again and she was in a laboratory. Unseen voices murmured words of a tragedy that left two soldiers severely injured and one was so bad that they had to use what was left of the Jenova cells just to heal him. There was a sound of shattering glass and Zack was holding a catatonic Cloud in his arms. Zack was talking to Cloud as if he was actually comprehending everything he was saying. He was talking about how the mako poison would soon run its course, but first they would have to get somewhere safe.

Shazz moved closer to the screen as she heard Zack say her name. He was telling Cloud that it was best not to tell her of their escape, that it would be safer to keep her in the dark. He then promised that he would come back for her.

The screen changed again and there were shouts and gunfire that could be heard everywhere. Shazz realized that they were on the Cliffs of Midgar. Zack was running towards a narrow opening within the rocks and placed Cloud in the little craves. He left his side to try and stop the oncoming military men. Shazz could tell that he was tired and he was battered and broken from his previous battled, but he still wanted to fight. It seemed like every man Zack took down, two more would take his place. Zack was staggering towards the edge, he looked over to where Cloud was hiding and a look of acceptance washed over his face. He knew Cloud would be safe.

There was a round of gunfire and Shazz stood frozen as she watch her friend fall to the ground. Only here wavering brown eyes could properly describe the torment that was building up with in her. She touched the screen so tenderly as if she was actually laying her hand upon Zack's bloody cheek. Her breath hitched as she saw Cloud crawling Zack. He was so weak, yet he managed to take Zack in his arms. The pain in Shazz's chest was unbearable she watched her friends exchange her final words. She clutched her heart as tears welled in Cloud's eyes after watching Zack take his final breath and she could feel a cry building up in Cloud that could shake this rocky foundation. His blue eyes looked up towards the heavens and….

"STOP!" cried Shazz as she pressed her forehead to the screen. "Please, just stop." Her knees were buckling, she tried so hard to keep standing, but her sobs took what little strength she had left. She fell to her knees and cried so hard that she could barely catch her breath. She wrapped her arms around her stomach because it hurt so bad and her tears seemed like a never ending stream.

She felt those warm comforting arms wrap around her, pulling her tightly to her chest.

"I didn't know." came Shazz's quivering voice "I didn't know they had suffered so much. Why didn't they just come to me for help when they could. Why did they endure this alone?"

"What could you have done my child?"

"Anything! If I wasn't so stubborn, I could of stopped all this. If I had just given into Rufus's demands, he wouldn't haven gotten so mad, and he wouldn't have put them on that mission to Nibelheim!" Shazz turned around and looked up into Gaia's technicolor gaze. "I mean you saw it didn't you? Even in those last moments, the love emitting from those two was extremely powerful. They deserve to be together! It's not fair for such love to go to waste!"

"My dear sweet Shasta, you shouldn't say such ugly things." Gaia held Shazz closer to herself and smoothed back her hair as she wept bitterly against her chest. "You know Zack did what he did because he wanted you to have the life that you have now. He wanted you and Cloud to be happy, even if it meant it would cost him his life. It was a fate that he accepted. But I have to agree with you, it was a fate that he didn't deserve, but sometimes, fate can give you a second chance."

Shazz's cries fell silent. "Wh…what do you mean?"

The Goddess took Shazz's face in her hands. "Shasta, I brought you here because I need your help."

"What do you need me to do?"

The Goddess smiled as she looked upon the hope that was shinning in her brown eyes. "My darling, I need you to take sometime to let all that you've seen really sink in. As time passes, your forgotten memories will start to come back. Keep those memories safe Shazz because they are the last piece to this puzzle."

"What are the memories for?"

"Shazz, I'm going too…"

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><p>The EKG machine started to beep violently as Shazz's body began to spasm.<p>

"Doctor! Doctor, she going into shock!" screamed a nurse as she reached over the bed to try and hold Shazz's body down. Dr. Kato came running in with some more nursed and he shouted at them to help old down the patient. He quickly filled a syringe with a sedative, but before the needle could pierce the flesh, her body went completely still.

Her heart rate went back to normal and the nurses slowly released their hold. Dr. Kato reached over to check her pulse, but her eyes snapped wide open. She took in a deep breath and as she exhaled she whispered "Zack."


	7. The Walls Start Crumbling

Sorry it took me so long to post the next chapter. Haven't really been feeling the best this past week but now i'm better and ready to post. If you're still reading, thank you so much for coming back and reading chapter 7! I hope you enjoy

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><p>Tseng pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes against the unforgiving florescent lights of Midgar General. The faint light of dawn was starting to creep through the windows of one of the waiting rooms on one of the upper floors. It had been ten hours sense Shazz had slipped into a coma and he had barely slept since he got up this morning for work. He didn't really care what floor he was on or what waiting room ward he was sitting in, all he knew was this one was empty and he just wanted a moments peace to clear his head.<p>

He let out a heavy sigh as he slouched down in the polyester chair. He stared at the ceiling tiles with a sense of defeat. He was so tired. Tired of waiting, tired of everyone telling him that things would be ok., and tired of misfortune getting in the way of his happily ever after.

"Hey man, you're looking pretty rough." Tseng lifted his head to look at who was in the room and saw the fiery read hair and crystal blue eyes of his friend Reno. He smiled softly has he handed Tseng a nice hot Styrofoam cup of coffee.

Tseng immediately sat up and took the cup gratefully. He held if up to his nose and took in a deep breath. The aroma alone was enough to give him a little bit of energy. He took a sip, and even though he knew it was just stale hospital coffee, it felt like it was the best thing he had ever tasted. That steaming black liquid was the first thing that had made him feel remotely alive since he had stayed in the hospital.

"Thanks Reno."

"Don't mention it." He sat down next to his superior and took a few sips of the cup of coffee he got for himself. "Have you heard anything new?"

Tseng shook his head. "Her vitals are good, they just can't wake her up."

"Where's Cloud?"

"He's up in the room with her. We've been taking shifts when it comes to staying in her room. You know, so we can get a little break no and then."

Silence fell over the room again. Tseng went to take a another sip of his coffee, when suddenly it was snatched right out of his hand. He looked longingly had his empty hand for a bit, wonder why someone would be so cruel as to take away the one thing that had brought him any comfort in the past 24 hours. He looked up and saw Cloud throwing the cup away.

"Hey, what are you…"

He didn't even get time to finish his sentence when Cloud grabbed his hand and his blue burned into his. "Tseng, she's awake."

That was all Cloud needed to say for Tseng to take off running. Cloud went right after him, leaving Reno behind. Tseng ran right to the elevator to check what floor he was on. Only three floors below Shazz. He hit the up button and Cloud had finally caught up to him.

Tseng looked at him anxiously. "I'm taking the stairs."

Cloud just rolled his eyes as he followed. He should of know that Tseng would be too inpatient to wait for the elevator.

"Hey Tseng." Cloud called after him as he followed him up the stairs. "Do you think we'll be able to see her, I mean they did kick me out of the room as soon as she woke up."

"I don't know" his reply was breathy as he continued to run up the stairs. "Does it really matter?"

Tseng did make a excellent point. They would have forced themselves in the room if they had to. "Do you think she'll be ok?"

When the reached the top of the stairs at Shazz's floor, they took a few minutes to catch their breath. As they opened the stairwell door, they could hear someone shouting down the hall.

"NO! No more wires! I don't want to be hooked up to anymore machines, I don't want you to give me anymore examinations, all I want, it so see my husband and my friends!"

Tseng looked out Cloud and smiled. "Oh yeah, I think she'll be just fine."

They walked towards her door and opened it to see Dr. Kato pleading with Shazz to consent to an examination.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm fine! I don't wanted to poked, prodded, pushed, or probed any more!"

"You'd better listen to her doctor, she can be very stubborn." Shazz looked towards the sound of the voice and a smile beamed brightly on her face.

"Tseng! Cloud!"

Before Cloud had a chance to set on foot inside of the room, Tseng was already at Shazz's side and covering her face in tiny kisses. Cloud walked over the Dr. Kato and told him that he could give Shazz her exam after they had some time to talk to her. The doctor nodded his head and the nurses followed him out and shut the door behind them.

Tseng had pulled the armchair closer to the bed and his hand was tightly intertwined with hers. Cloud went over, set on the edge of the bed, and took his friend in his arms. "I'm so glad that you are alright, I was so worried I had lost you."

Shazz wriggled out of his hold and with her free hand she caressed Cloud's cheek. The way she looked at him made him tremble. There was a lovely sadness in her brown eyes that he couldn't quite get a read on. She took his hand and squeezed it tight. "There is so much I have to tell you guys."

"Tell us?" asked Cloud as he squeezed her hand back. "You mean, you just weren't in a coma?"

"Far from it." Shazz went on to explain how The Goddess Gaia had called her into the Life Stream and that that she had basically gave her the history of the planet.

"The Goddess? Do you mean the one Genesis was always talking about?" Tseng inquired with a rather skeptical tone."

"The very same one."

"What does she want with you?"

"Well, she wanted to thank everyone for the work they did in protecting her planet and," she looked back at Cloud with the same sadness in her eyes. "she wanted to apologize for the losses we all suffered."

Tseng let out a sigh and shook is head. "You expect me to believe that she put you through all this for a few thank you's and I'm sorry's ?"

Shazz tightened her hold on her husband's hand. "Well, I know it sounds a bit absurd, but I'm telling the truth."

"I believe you." All eyes fell on Cloud. "At your wedding, there was this brief moment when I felt like the entire church was underwater. I saw this figure reaching out for Shazz and at first I thought it was Zack, but it whispered the word _"believe"_ and now I know it was her."

Tseng was astonished. He knew that Cloud and Shazz had shared a special connection, but this was too much. How could it be that only they were able to see this celestial being? Suddenly, he felt Shazz's hand slipping from his and all her focus was on Cloud. He couldn't have felt worse if someone had kicked him in the gut.

"She really called out to you?" There was a sense of relief in her voice as she asked.

Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know if she called out to me, but I kind of wished she would have instead of causing you so much pain."

"Because it wasn't you that she needed. She needed to tell me something, something very important." She took both of Clouds hands into hers and he could feel her begin to tremble. She was looking down at their hands and it started to frighten Cloud the way her demeanor became almost cold. "She told me things about Shinra, things that you and Tseng never told me and probably had no intentions of ever telling me. I was told that you and Zack were taken to a hospital because you were severely injured, but I saw the lap. Shinra was going to pump you both with enough Jenova Cells to create another Sephiroth. Zack was lucky enough to get out in time, but you weren't so lucky. That's why Zack ran away with you. He didn't want Shinra to turn you into another weapon."

Now Cloud was beginning to tremble. This was secret he had been keeping from her for so long now. He didn't want her to know about his Jenova Cells out of fear that she would be frightened of him.

She looked up at him and he could see the tears brimming in her eyes. "But that's not all you hid from me. I saw you on the Cliffs of Midgar. You were so weak, but you took Zack in your arms. You watched him take his last breath. I can't even imagine how painful that must have been for you." Tears started to trickle down her cheek. "I'm so sorry that you've had to endure that kind of pain all these years."

Cloud gently brushed away her tears. "No, I'm sorry you had to witness that."

She shook her head. "You shouldn't have to apologize. It should be us. I mean, you were grieving for him and yet you found a way to push the pain aside and still fight to protect this planet, protect the very people that contributed to his death. You didn't deserve that kind of life. That's why the Goddess called out to me, she going to give back what you have lost."

"What…I've lost?"

Shazz's eyes locked on to his and her grip on his hands became dangerously tight. "I saw him Cloud. I saw Zack's body in the Life Stream. It's as if time has never touched him."

He was feeling light headed. "Wh…what are you saying Shazz?"

"What I'm saying is, The Goddess wants to apologize for all the agony you had to endure and she want's to repay you for saving the planet she loves so dearly. She's going to give you the life you've always wanted. She's bringing him back Cloud! Zack is finally coming home."

Cloud slightly pulled away. His entire world had gone quite and all he could hear was the beating of his own heart. It sounded rapid, but it kept time with his own breathing. He was scared, he didn't know why, there was really nothing to be scared of. But maybe that was the problem, he just didn't know and fear of the unknown is overpowering. He then felt the familiar embrace of Shazz's slender arms around him and he could feel his dam of emotions begin to break. Tears of fear, relief, and joy stream from his blue eyes as he held Shazz tightly. Never in his life did you expect to hear those words, but there they were and his heart was reacting faster than his head could comprehend.

"Shazz…what should I do? What should I do? "

Shazz held his face in her hands and with her thumbs, she tenderly brushed away his tears. "You don't have to do anything my dear, I will help you this time. After all, Gaia did call me for this purpose."

Cloud was confused. "Why…why you?"

"Right now, Zack is nothing more than body and soul, but as it is with everybody, memories fade with time. If she were to bring back Zack now, he wouldn't be the same Zack Fair that we know and love. He would have no recollection of who he was, or who you were. He needs memories and I can help with that."

"So you're going to create the memories? Why can't The Goddess?" Cloud leaned in closer to her, trying to grasp what she was saying.

"It's true that she is a very powerful being and she does know quite a bit about Zack's past, I mean she did show me everything he knew about Shinra. However, she doesn't know him like I do. She doesn't know how much Zack loved you and the details of your relationship. I know him on a personal level so that when he does come back, you two will be able to start back where you left off, ready to start a new life together and being totally and completely in love."

"So, basically you're just going to transfer your memories over to Zack and then things will be the way they always should have been." He wrapped his arms around her and crushed her to himself. "Shazz, this is brilliant! I don't think I've ever been so….happy." Cloud noticed that Shazz wasn't hugging him back. In fact, her body seemed to stiffen against him. He let her go and he could feel she was hesitating about something. "Shazz, what's wrong."

She sighed deeply. She didn't want to ruin the good news she just delivered, but she knew she couldn't lie to him. "I'm afraid, things can't be as they were. This planet is forever in a never ending cycle of give and take. I'm giving Zack my memories, which means his mind is taking what once was mine." Shazz could feel her voice start to quiver, so she swallowed back the sob that was threatening to escape. "I have to go into the Life Stream to do this Cloud, it's where Gaia's power is at it's greatest and even if things go the way she planned and I'm able to make it back, I'm not going to be the same person. I won't know who you are, or even Zack. My life, the memories I shared with you both, will be nonexistent for me."

Cloud could do nothing but stare at her. His blue eyes searching her for a trace of fault in her confession, but he couldn't find anything, her brown eyes stared back at him with unwavering certainty. "So…what…what am I supposed to do? There must be a way that I can fix that?"

"Well, Gaia did say…"

"You said if." Brown and blue eyes turned to meet grey. Cloud and Shazz had been wrapped up in their own conversation that they had forgotten that Tseng was still in the room.

Shazz had completely forgotten what she was about say. There was a look in her husband's eyes that was pensive, almost borderline dangerous, "I'm sorry Tseng, what did you say?"

"You said _"if things go the way she planned." _What did you mean by that?'

Cloud could see that his friend was shaken by his question and she was definitely grasping for words. "Ts…Tseng, why…why don't we talk about his later."

"We will talk about this now." Tseng got up out of the chair and moved in closer to his wife. Cloud didn't like the way he was looking at her and he moved closer to the edge of the bed, ready to strike if anything should get out of hand "Look Shazz, I don't ask for much, hell, I didn't ask you to put me first because I knew how important Zack and Cloud were to you. But I'm your husband now, don't you think I deserve to know the truth, the whole truth."

Shazz nervously rung her hands and avoided eye contact with her husband. A tear trickled down her cheek and she couldn't keep her stomach from turning in knots. "You're right," her voice was starting to crack "you deserve to know the truth. As I said before, I have to enter the Life Stream in order for this to happen. The Life Stream is an energy source that gives life or takes life and nothing in between. There is a possibility that I…I could become a part of it."

"In other words, you could die."

Shazz look up at Tseng as the tears seemed to over run the beauty of her brown eyes. "I know how it sounds Tseng, but I know I can do this. The Goddess isn't going to just send me in there unprotected. Yes, the Life Stream is an uncontrollable force, but she can hold it back in order for me to get to Zack. It may be a small window of opportunity, but I will make it." Tseng's expression was unreadable as he stared at Shazz. The silence was unnerving and at this moment she wouldn't mind if he just yelled at her, just as long as he said something, but instead he chose to turn away. Shazz reached out and grabbed his hand. "Please don't go!" she begged "Please don't walk away!"

"I need some air." came his emotionless reply as his hand slipped out of hers. The sound of the closing door masked the sound of Shazz's heart breaking. Cloud's arms instinctively went around her and she buried her face in his chest.

"I didn't want to hurt him Cloud. I didn't want to hurt him." she cried these words over and over again.

Cloud just held her tighter and smoothed back her long brown locks. "It'll be alright." he cooed "He'll come around, he just needs some time. Don't you worry." But his words sounded so hollow to him. He was worried. Things couldn't possibly be alright, not when he was faced with this kind of a choice. Could he really risk losing his friend in order to bring back the only man he ever loved?

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><p><em>Give me somewhere else to go<br>__Show me one thing  
>Tell me something I don't really need to know<br>I am so afraid of breaking what we made  
>It is delicate and lovely<br>But it's a weight above me_

Lyrics from "Words" by Darren Hayes


	8. A Line is Drawn

YAY for Chapter 8! ^_^ you know i need to find a better time at updating this story rather than at 2 in the morning, i'm so tired the next day. Anway, i'll let you get your read on ^_^

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><p>Cloud slowly opened his eyes to a dimly lit room. He had fallen asleep while sitting in the armchair that was next to Shazz's bed. He couldn't recall when he had dozed off and he was honestly surprised that he was even able to get to sleep. His mind had been going a mile a minute since Shazz had delivered the news about her encounter with the Goddess and the possibility that Zack would be in his arms again.<p>

He turned his head to see Shazz was sleeping soundly. He got up out of the chair, stretched, and went over to the bed to pulled Shazz's covers up to her shoulders. He brushed a wisp of hair away from her face and gently placed a kiss on her forehead. He looked upon her serene face and his heart went out to her. She had been waiting for Tseng to return, but he never did. He tried his best to distract her from her worry by convincing her to let Dr. Kato run the tests he wanted. He had hoped that once she heard the good news that she was healthy, she wouldn't look so disappointed. That look was the worst of it because Cloud new that it wasn't meant for Tseng, it was for herself. She blamed herself for the hardship that was placed on their marriage.

Cloud sighed and walked over to the window. He watched as the street lights flickered on as twilight settled upon Midgar. His eyes wondered over the scenery outside, over the vast parking lot, they landscaping, and even the few people that happened to stroll by. Finally his sites settled on a area of picnic tables just a few feet away from the hospital. There was someone standing there all alone. He strained his eyes to make out the person but all he could gather was that they were wearing a black suit. He didn't see Reno's bright red hair, nor did he see Rude's shiny bald head. He was about 90% sure that it was Tseng and he knew he had to go talk to him. He needed to make him understand that Shazz really needed him right now and to just set his pride aside and go to her.

He made his way out of the room and quietly closed the door behind him. He spotted Dr. Kato at the nurse's station and he made his way over to talk to him. "Hey, Dr. Kato."

The man looked up from his paper work with worry. "Mr. Strife, is everything ok?"

Cloud waited to answer till he got a little closer to the doctor. He really shouldn't be yelling down the hall in the hospital. "Yeah, everything is fine. I was just wondering were the area with the picnic tables is located.

"Yeah, just make your way down to the first floor and take a left once you exit the elevator. Go all the way down to the end of the hallway and there should be an exit that will lead you right to where you want to be."

"Thank you." Cloud went to the elevator and waited for the doors to open. The hospital was pretty quite at this time of night. He just guessed that the visiting hours were about up and families had started to make their way home. When the doors opened, he stepped inside and hit the button for the first floor. He was anxious. He had no idea what he was really going to say to Tseng.

The bell rang and it was is stop. He got off on his floor and headed in the direction that Dr. Kato had gave him. He saw a grey metal door with a red exit sign above. He took in a deep breath, opened the door, and starting walking straight ahead to the picnic tables.

As he got closer, he started to notice the little things about the area. There a few trash cans and a few pieces of litter on the ground. The wrappers were from the vending machines inside the hospital, so Cloud just assumed that this must have been the place the staff went on their breaks.

Standing next to the last table was Tseng. He looked so stoic just staring up at the grey sky as the warm summer night air blew through his hair. Cloud approached him and stood by his side. He didn't know if Tseng noticed him, and even if he did, he made no indication that he cared.

"It's a nice night out tonight. I can see why you'd rather be here than in that stuffy hospital." There was no acknowledgement from Tseng. Cloud Sighed. He figured there was no room for small talk. "If you don't want to talk to me that's fine, all I really need you to do is listen anyway. I know all I of this is really heavy stuff and I understand that you need some time to think, but it's taking to long. She needs you right now." Tseng didn't even feign the slightest interest in what Cloud saying. "Well, if that wasn't enough to send you running, then I don't know what else you want me to say." Cloud turned to walk away. If he wasn't going to be there for her, then he would.

"Cloud." He turned around at the mere mention of his name. Tseng was still standing there looking up at the sky, but Cloud didn't really care, just as long as he was talking. "The only thing I want from you, is for you to go back to Shazz and tell her she doesn't have to do this."

Cloud was a little startled. He wasn't quite sure what Tseng was asking. "Excuse me?"

Tseng turned around and the seriousness that electrified his grey eyes made Cloud take a step back. "I don't care how you do it, you could get on your knees and beg her for all I care, just convince her that she doesn't have to go through with this."

Cloud wasn't quite sure how to react. The look on Tseng face was threatening, but a part of him really couldn't believe what he was saying. "You know Shazz, once she gets something in her head it's hard to tell her any…"

"I am very well aware of how stubborn she can be, especially when it comes to you and Zack. I've seen her put her own life at risk in order to help you guys out, but this…this I too much." Within seconds, Tseng had Cloud by the throat. He wasn't choking the blonde but he was squeezing just hard enough to inflict pain. "There is a strong possibility that she cloud never die and there is no way that anyone can save her. Do you get in now Cloud!" Tseng's grip was starting to get tighter and the heat from his glare was malignant. "Did you really expect me to be ok with this? For God's sake man, she is my wife!"

"And she is my best friend!" Cloud grabbed Tseng's wrist and tore it away from his neck. The force knocked them both a little off balance, but they quickly recovered and stood a good distance apart. Cloud was rubbing his throat and returned Tseng's glare with even more intensity. "What makes you think that any of this is easy for me? I don't want her to risk her life and Zack would never put her life in danger to saves his. My head tells me to forget this whole thing, but my heart still misses him. I know I chose to move on and each day my heart aches less and less, but the pain is still there."

Cloud was moving closer to Tseng but he wasn't backing down. He knew the former Turk wouldn't back down from a fight, but he had no intentions of fighting right now, he had to get his off chest. "You haven't the vaguest idea of the pain I suffered when I lost him. Every word, every breath, and every heart beat seemed so natural, as if it was all meant for him. When he was taken from me, all of a sudden those simple things became impossible. There was a void inside me that I thought would never close, but now I've been given a second chance. I know it's wrong and you can go ahead and call me selfish, curse me up and down because I deserve it for what I'm about do, but I'm going to take that chance Tseng. I want him back."

He braced himself for a fight, but Tseng didn't even take a swing. Cloud let down his guard and stared at Tseng whose facial expression wasn't so hard anymore, instead it was down cast and his tone was low when he spoke. "Is it so easy for you to condemn me to that same fate."

Tseng started walking towards the hospital and he didn't even look at Cloud as he passed. It took Cloud a little to absorb what Tseng had said. "Tseng, I…I didn't mean it like that."

Tseng paused and glanced back at Cloud. There was a new aura about him now. He wasn't angry, nor was he sad. He was determined. "You know, when I made my vow to always protect Shazz, it never crossed my mind that it would have to be from you."

At that moment Cloud wished that Tseng would have thrown a punch. That was something he could easily counterattack. But this was different. This hurt worse than any hit Tseng could have laid on him. He gritted his teeth as Tseng started to walk towards the door. He knew he had to do something. He couldn't just stand there with his hands at his side.

"Tseng!" he yelled after him "Don't you walk away! This isn't over!"

Tseng had his hands on the door knob and slowly turned back to look at Cloud. "I'm afraid it is. There is once again a line that has been drawn between us and I have to defend what is mine. If you come anywhere near her, I promise you'll regret it."

With that last statement. Tseng opened the door and started to walk through it. Cloud took off after him and the panic started to well up inside him. He didn't know why, but he knew he didn't want that door to close. He was almost there, just a few centimeters away, but he was too late. The sound of the closing door sounded like a shotgun blast but that wasn't worst of it. He heard a lock being snapped into place and a chills ran up his spine. He looked up through the plexiglass window and saw Reno staring back at him. He must have been the one that locked the door.

Cloud jiggled the handle. "Reno, unlock this door. Reno, please!" The red head's face was serious, but his eyes betrayed a sense of remorse. Reno hesitated, but he eventually turned around and followed Tseng down the hall.

He messed around with the handle a little more but the damn thing wouldn't budge. He kicked the door out of frustration and took a minute to think about his next move. He turned and ran across the parking lot to the front of the hospital. If the side door was locked, then he new the front entrance had to be open. He was met with a glimmer of hope when he saw the doors open for someone as the entered, but as he approached the automatic doors, a couple of burley men dressed in white came out to greet him.

"Cloud Strife." said the one guy with a shaven head and square jaw. "It is at the request of the hospital administration that you leave the premises immediately."

Cloud balled his fists. _"Was this what Tseng was doing the whole time?" _he thought _"Was he planning how to get rid of me?" _He took a step forward but he felt a hand on his shoulder and a palm was pressing into him.

"Please Mr. Strife, for the sake of our patients, do not cause a scene."

Cloud knew the man was right. It would be incredibly disrespectful to start a fight right outside a hospital. He nodded his head in agreement and the two men backed off. He turned and started to walk away from the hospital. It killed him to have to do that, but he didn't see any other choice. Tseng had gotten him. There was no way he could go in there brandishing any kind of weapon and to fight it legally would take too long. All he could do is wait and pray that the connection he had with Shazz was strong enough to withstand this.

* * *

><p>Long eyelashes fluttered open and lovely brown eyes began to search the room for any signs of life. She pulled herself up into a sitting position so she could get a better look and noticed that for the first time, she was in the room by herself. She frowned as she looked at the clock on the wall. It was now past 8:00 and the visiting hours were almost over. She had hoped that when she did wake up, Tseng would be back in the room, but now it would seem he wasn't planning on coming back at all.<p>

The sound of the opening door made her turn her head and when she saw a polished black dress shoe step in, her heart soared. "Tseng?"

Disappointment settled in as a figure with a clean pressed white three piece suit walked into the room. His slicked back blonde hair really made his powder blue eyes more visible and his face had filled out a little more than what it used to look like when he was sick. Shazz didn't want to, but she had to admit that Rufus was looking really good these days.

"Are you ever going to greet me with a smile Shazz?" he asked as he walked through the door and shut it behind him.

"Oh, sorry." She cleared her throat and forced a nervous smile " Hi Rufus."

Rufus could see through her smile and he couldn't blame her for being nervous. This was the first time they had been in a room alone together since she her and Tseng starting dating. "Shazz, may I have a seat."

She looked at the chair next to the bed and then back at Rufus. She wasn't sure if she wanted him that close to her, but the fact that he even asked her made it a little easier to say yes. She nodded her had and gestured for him to take a seat. "So, I take it you've heard about everything."

"I did get a phone call." said Rufus as he took a seat and crossed his legs.

"You probably think that all of this is really messed up don't you?"

"On the contrary, I am well aware of the awesome power of the Life Stream has on this planet. It was my punishment as well as my saving grace. It doesn't seem impossible that it would be able to give back a life it has taken."

Shazz was shocked and relieved that Rufus was so understanding. Out of all the people that knew of her situation, Rufus was the last one she thought would be the one that would accept it..

"Hey Shazz, I was wondering if you could explain something to me?"

She looked over at Rufus. "_So much for his understanding." _She thought to herself as she rolled her eyes "Um, sure I guess."

Rufus uncrossed his legs and rested his elbows on his knees. He was slight hunched over as his interlocked hands gently tapped his chin. "Back then, you risked a lot in order to help Zack and Cloud and I can understand why. I mean, they were really the only friends that you had. But it's different now. You have so much more going for you and yet you're willing to put your own life in danger. Why Shazz?"

Shazz had to bite her tongue. She wanted to yell at him so badly, but she knew she was in a hospital so she suppressed her anger. "I'm not discussing this with you."

Rufus acted like he didn't even hear a word she said and continued his questioning. "I know you care a great deal about Cloud and you want to help him, but you're married now Shazz. Don't you think it's time that you're priorities changed?"

"How dare you? What gives you the right to lecture me on relationships?"

"Because I know the pain to losing you!" Shazz coward as Rufus raised his voice to her. She didn't mean to, but it was a reaction the was just built into her. " I know that I treated you horribly and I deserve to live with this hole in my heart. But Tseng is a good man. There is nothing that he wouldn't do for you and yet you are willing to put him through all this. He doesn't deserve this Shazz, and you know it."

She didn't look at him. It was killing her to hear Rufus speak the truth. Tseng was the light in her world and the last thing she wanted to do was lose him, but no one gave her the chance to explain that she had no intentions of doing that. She swallowed back her fear and turned to talk to Rufus, but he was already walking towards the door. He was holding a key in his hand.

"What are you going to do with that?"

He turned his head to look back at her and there was ominous glint in his eyes. "I'm going to do what I'm good at, being the bad guy." He didn't give her anytime to respond and walked right out the door.

When the it closed, she could hear the key being turned and something locked into place.

She kicked off her sheets and ran to the door. She pressed her ear up against it and tried hard to make out the voices that were behind it.

"Here is the key." Shazz knew that was Rufus. "She is not allowed out and no one is allowed in without proper clearance got it?"

"Yes sir." There was two voices and she knew it was Rude and Reno.

She reached out of the handle and turned it, hoping upon all hope that this wasn't really happening, that it wasn't locked, but she couldn't even turn the knob. A part of her wanted to start wailing on the door and shouting at them to let her out, but to what end. They didn't move her out of the lodge when she realized she would be living Rufus, so what would make them unlock this door?

She slowly backed away from the door and crawled back into bed. She laid back down and pulled the covers up around her. She didn't' want to cry, she just wanted to sleep. Maybe when she woke up, Tseng would be back to take her home.

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><p>Cause there's no body else who can hurt like you hurt me<br>i don't wanna be lonely  
>And there's no other way there's no joy there's no meaning<br>Just this hollowed out feeling  
>Now all the love's gone and nothing grows here<br>And I just feel wrong  
>So Black out the sun<br>And all that we share  
>Will slowly Disappear<br>There's a hole where my soul used to grow  
>So just black out the sun<p>

Black out the sun by Darren Hayes


	9. The Storm

SOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry about the late update, but it's just been so busy here lately, like abnormally busy. must be the holidays. anywho, here is chapter nine and i hope you all enjoy! oh and thanks for waiting for me to update, you all are freaking amazing ^_^

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><p>A loud clap of thunder startled Shazz awake. It sounded like lighting had struck right next to her bed. She looked out the window and noticed the large raindrops pelting the window and the turbulent wind made it tremble. She glanced over at the clock on the wall and it read just a little after eight in the morning, although it didn't look like morning at all. The clouds outside were so dark that it looked like they had swallowed the sun completely.<p>

She let out a heavy sigh as the head of her bed to an upright position. It had been four days since she had left this hospital. Reno and Rude were kind enough to let her leave the room to go on chaperoned trips to the cafeteria or any other destination worth while in a hospital. Every once in awhile, she could go outside, but she was always within two feet of the grounds. It was the same old thing day in and day out and the one thing that made it so much worse was the fact that she missed Cloud terribly. She couldn't imagine the agony Cloud was going through knowing that his beloved was right in reach and the key to opening that door was right there and yet he could never touch it.

The sound of the opening lock turned Shazz's gaze away from the window and a half smiled formed on her pink lips as Tseng entered the room. Shazz's smile was matched with equal enthusiasm as he approached her.

"How are you feeling today Shazz?"

She shrugged her shoulders and her gazed returned to the window. "Pretty much the same since the last time we talked. How can anything really change when I'm stuck in the same place. Although I have to admit, the storm is new."

Tseng could only sigh as her sarcasm. "Shazz, I told you that we could just go home."

"And I told you that I would not turn our home into a prison."

Tseng was standing at her bedside as a peculiar silence surrounded them. The two of them were clearly upset with one another. Tseng couldn't believe that Shazz was willing to put her life on the line and Shazz couldn't understand why her own husband could just lock her away. On the other hand, all they really wanted to was hold each other so badly to the point to breaking. That maybe being in each other's arms would somehow make this entire mess go away, but pride was the only thing holding them now. They would never go back on their word.

Finally Shazz's soft voice broke the silence. "Will…will you stay with me tonight?" This was the first time she had asked him this. At first she was too mad to want to be with him, but she was lonely.

"I…I don't know. If the storm get's any worse I might have to stay late and make sure the city's levies are secure incase of any flooding." Shazz only nodded her head in response. "I'll be back as soon as I can." he bent down to kiss her, but hesitated for a moment. It was too much to hope that she would turn her head so that his lips could meet hers, so he settled for kissing the top of her head. "Well, I guess I'll be heading off to work."

He started to walk towards the door when he heard Shazz call out his name. He had hoped that she had changed her mind about the kiss, but when he turned around, there was a serious look on her face.

"Tseng, every time you tell me that you'll be coming back, I always believe you. That doesn't me that I don't worry about you, but I believe you none the less. So why…why can't you believe me?"

"Shazz, now is not the time…"

"Do you really think that I am that weak?" the volume of her voice began to rise and Tseng could see the tears brimming in her eyes. "I know I can do this. I promised to always be by your side and I will keep that promise. Please, just let me go get him and I will come back to you."

His reflecting in her pleading brown eyes made him want to say yes, but his heart wouldn't let him. He turned back around and opened the door. " There is no doubt that you are strong, but it scares me to know that you have to do this by yourself. If something should go wrong, I can't save you, so I have to stop this before it starts. I'm sorry Shazz." He opened the door and without so much as a single glance back at her. He could feel her desperation burning in to him and he just couldn't let himself break. He reminded himself that this was for her own good and he shut the door and looked it.

Shazz sat in her bed and uncovered her ears. She hated the sound of the lock and for the first time she wished she had some materia so that she could blow the door clean off it's hinges. She extended her an open palm towards the door as if a fireball was going to come shooting out. She let out a tiny laugh as a memory of her and Zack fluttered across her mind.

It was a very sunny afternoon that Zack took her to an open training field. He got it into his head that she needed a lesson in how to use materia, but he didn't anticipate on how bad of an aim she had. She ended up torching about 80% of the training field, which Zack undoubtedly got in trouble for, but Shazz eventually erased it from his record.

Memories like this were constantly coming at her since her visit to the Life Stream. The Goddess wasn't lying when she told Shazz that she wanted to awaken her memories. Half of the time she couldn't even believe that she had forgotten so much. Even though she loved recalling the times she spent with Zack and Cloud, there was a touch of sadness that loomed over them. What good were they if they were locked away in this room.

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><p>Cloud had to really push the door to the Seventh Heaven to get it to shut. The wind from the storm was out of control. His hair was matted down and his clothes were soaked from the rain.<p>

"Here, take this." said Denzel as he threw a towel in Cloud's face.

"Thanks kiddo." Cloud said as he began to dry his hair.

"Sure thing, do you want me to make you a drink or something?"

Cloud took the towel off his head and snapped it at Denzel and he jumped out of the way just in time. "Stay out of the booze kid." The child just laughed as he followed Cloud to the bar and crawled on top of one of the bar stools. He watch as Cloud went behind the counter and started to polish the glasses. "So where's Tifa?"

Denzel didn't want to answer the question. He just lowered his head and pretended that he didn't hear the question.

Cloud looked up from the pint glass he was polishing and arched and eyebrow. "Denzel, did you hear me?"

The poor didn't stand a chance when Cloud stared at him. "She's…upstairs on the phone." he said meekly as he tried to avoid eye contact.

"With who?"

"D…Dr. Kato."

Cloud slammed the glass down on the table and it made Denzel jump. He knew Cloud would be upset because it happened every time Tifa would talk on the phone with the doctor. He didn't really understand what was going on, all he knew was that Shazz wouldn't be coming to see them and that they weren't allowed to see her. When Dr. Kato would call, Tifa would always talk with him and when she tried to relay the message to Cloud, he would get upset and storm off

Denzel's ears perked up when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Well, I better get up to my room and study." He hopped off the stool, run up the stairs, past Tifa, and into his room. He didn't really have to study, he just didn't want to be in the same room when Tifa talked to Cloud.

Tifa walked towards the bar and stopped at a safe distance. Cloud wouldn't even look at her. She sighed and shook her head. "Don't you even want to hear how's she doing?"

"I want to go SEE how's she doing."

"Look, I know it's hard, but you should be grateful that someone is even calling us at all."

"Grateful! How the hell am I supposed to be grateful that the only means of communication with my best friend is through some crazy doctor!" He knew Tifa was going to continue to talk and he had no intention of listening so he started to head towards the door.

"Where are you going to go?" Tifa called out "That storm is vicious. You have no where to run so you might as well man up and talk to me about this."

"I don't' want to talk about it, I want to find Tseng and break every bone in his face." he said as his back was turned towards Tifa.

"Come on Cloud, he's only trying to protect his wife."

"Don't tell me I have to stand here and listen to you defend him."

"I'm not defending his actions, I'm just saying that I understand him not wanting to lose someone he loves."

"So you're on his side?"

Tifa restrained the urge to punch him. She was getting pretty tired of trying to talk some sense into the hard headed blonde. "So you think I'm choosing sides? Fine, I guess if I had to choose a side, I would choose Shazz's. I mean, no one should have to choose between her husband and her best friend and it seems like you two are forcing her. She stands to loose much more than you or Tseng. If she succeeds, she loses you and Zack, if she fails than she looses her husband and possibly her life. She needs support now, not all this fighting."

Cloud leaned against the bar with his arms crossed. He still wasn't looking at Tifa knew he was pretty pissed by the way his shoulders tensed up.

"It's not my fault." Cloud said sternly "It's not like I'm the one locking her away from all her friends."

"That maybe true, but I don't see you worrying about her going either. Tell me Cloud, are you really mad at Tseng for treating her like a prisoner or because he is keeping her from getting Zack?" Cloud didn't reply and Tifa could tell that she hit a nerve. His shoulders slumped and his arms hung and his side. She felt sort of bad for saying something so harsh. "Cloud, I know that this situation is such a mess, but you have to realize that Shazz is not a child. She has to make this decision on her own and you need to support her wheat her decides to get Zack or stay with her husband."

Cloud lowered his head and Tifa could see a tear starting to run down his cheek. She took this as an opportunity to approach him. "I would never abandon her. If she decided that the risk was too great and she'd rather stay with her husband, then I would love her just the same." He turned around to face Tifa and she took a step back from the power he was emitting through his stare. "But there is one thing about Shazz that Tseng doesn't see, that none of you really see. You look at her and see some damsel in distress, but I see the same head strong ambitious woman she's always been. I can feel deep within my bones that she has already accepted the fact that she will lose me and Zack. That's because Tseng is the only consolation she has in all this. She is not giving up on her marriage, neither is she giving up on Zack. She'd rather live apart from Zack, than to live in a world without him."

Tifa sighed. She guessed she really couldn't stay mad Cloud, especially if he was making sense. "You do make an excellent point, but are you ok with it?"

Cloud mulled the question over for a minute. "I don't know. I wish I could pick in emotion but it seems like they're all jumbled up inside me like a messy string of Christmas lights." Tifa walked over to him and embraced him. She could feel him hold her back and bury his face in her lovely black hair. "I'm so scared of losing her, and yet I'm more scared of not being able to hold him again. Be honest with me Tifa, am I a terrible person?"

Tifa hugged him tighter. "Of course not Cloud. Even a blind person could see how much you love that girl and no one can fault you for your weakness either. I think it's best that you let fate take it's course and just know that me and Denzel will support you, come what may."

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><p>Shazz shot up in bed as a high pitched static noise rung in her head. Her hands gripped the sides of her head as she gritted her teeth. She knew what this meant, The Goddess was calling for her again.<p>

"_Shasta, take cover."_ The ringing in her head was so distracting that she didn't even notice the dark cloud mass the was hurling towards the hospital. _"Now my child!"_

Shazz practically threw herself out of bed because the pounding in her head didn't allow her to remove her hands. She hit the floor pretty hard but she didn't have time to worry about the pain. She immediately took shelter underneath her bed and curled up in the fetal position.

Reno and Rude stumbled as the floor began to shake. Panic coursed through them because it sounded like a bomb had gone off in Shazz's room. They could hear the sound of glass shattering and walls crumbling. Reno fumbled around for the key and quickly unlocked the door, but it won't open. His fist pounded against the door and screamed her name, but he couldn't hear anything coming from the other side.

"God Dammit!" he shouted as he started to ram his shoulder into the door. He was starting to get frantic. Rude started to notice that they were drawing a crowd of hospital staff and patients and the whole thing was starting to become a bit too unseemly for him. He pushed his partner aside and gripped the handle of the door. He took in a deep breath and began pulling. The door began to crack little by little as he started to sweat. Every vein in his arm started to bulge and finally he managed to rip the door right off it's hinges.

"Way to go buddy." he patted Rude on the shoulder and made a dash to get through the door, but he didn't make it very far. A huge tree trunk was blocking the entrance and there was a giant hole in the far wall. The wind whipped around the bed sheets as sparks flew from wires that spilled out of the ceiling.

Eyes widened as they fell on Shazz how was standing with her toes curled around the edge. The wind blew maliciously around her and they feared that she would lose her balance.

"Shazz!" Reno shouted as he climbed over the trunk. "Just back away slowly, don't do anything crazy."

"Stay back!" came a demanding ethereal voice. "You have no say in this matter."

Reno did back off because he knew it wasn't Shazz that was speaking to him. It turned to look at him and all he saw was the haunting glow of the eyes of someone he didn't know.

Suddenly the dark clouds descended and wrapped themselves around Shazz until every last inch of her was lost to the swirling smoke. Within a blink of an eye, Shazz seemed to be evaporated into the clouds and started to rise back up into the sky.

The two men couldn't take their eyes off the stormy skies as the black cloud started to head north.

"So…uhhhhh Rude," Reno asked in a shaky tone "Who do you want to call, Tseng or Cloud?


	10. The Life Stream

Well Happy Thanksgiving you all you wonderful readers out there today! I hope that you and your loved ones are enjoying the holiday! I know I am! I just wanted to thank you guys so much for reading and just to show how truly grateful i am, i'm going to update on my vacation ^_^. Thank you thank you thank you for your support!

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><p>A cool breeze woke Shazz up from what she thought was dream, but when she opened her eyes, she wasn't staring up at the ceiling panels and florescent lights of her hospital room. Instead, there was a spider web of iridescent branches that almost shielded her from the pitch black sky.<p>

She could here the soft rippling sound of water and she slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position. She felt a little dizzy and she thought that maybe she sat up to fast, but it was much more than that. He skin tingled with an eerie sensation, as if her body wasn't really her own. She closed her eyes and took a couple minutes to regain her composer. When she felt like the world around her was steady, she opened them and gasped at the sight of her surroundings.

"So this really wasn't a dream?" she looked around her at the luminescent trees, the shell shaped houses, and the lush vegetation that seemed to flourish despite the lack of light. "This must be the Forgotten City." She pulled herself up to her feet and walked over the edge of the water. It was crystal clear and the way the water moved up down looked like it was breathing. "Oh my God…this can't be? This…this is the lake that was in my dream!"

She realized that the dreams she had been having were like an instructional video. The entrance to the Life Stream must be under the water, which meant that she had a lot a swimming to do. She dipped her toe into the water and it was surprisingly warm. She took a quick look around to make sure that no one was around, untied her gown, and let it fall to her feet. She knew the task that laid ahead of her was grand and she couldn't afford to have anything weigh her down.

Shazz took in a deep breath and dove into the water. She began to swim downward and the deeper she got, the darker the water would become. Eventually, she couldn't see what was in front of her and neither could she see the surface. This was the part in her dream where she would turn around, but not this time. There was no turning back so she blindly clawed her way through the black waters. She had no idea where she was going and she could feel her lungs start to burn. If she didn't find some air soon, this was bound to be her grave.

She kicked her legs faster in hopes that she might be able to find some sort of opening and just when she felt like her lungs were about to burst, a ray of light cut through the darkness. She desperately swam towards it. She held her breath as best as she could as this white light surrounded her, but she couldn't take it anymore. She gasped for air, expecting water to fill her lungs, but nothing happened. She was breathing normally.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see green swirling lights and it looked like it was trapped behind some sort of invisible wall. She knew that she was in the Life Stream now and that this was the window of opportunity that The Goddess had given her.

She started to walk forward. Moving around in the Life Stream was like walking on air. There was infinite nothingness around her, but she walked upon the void as if she was on walking on solid ground. Although moving around was easy enough, she had no direction in which to go. The Life Stream had no borderlines. How was she going to find Zack in all this?

A bright light suddenly flashed before her and she had to shield her eyes because she felt like she was looking right into the sun. As it gradually began to fade, she took her hand away from her eyes only to find an even more astonishing sight.

Her eyes traveled over a robust figure and eventually locked on to a pair of devastating blue eyes. A mass of smooth raven hair that fell just underneath of a Romanesque jaw line.

"An…Angeal?" her words were airy, as if it was her mouth could barely utter the name. She had never seen him this close before and she couldn't take her eyes off him. He looked exactly like she had remembered, uniform and all. That made her painfully aware of how naked she was and she could feel the blood rush to her cheeks. She tried to cover her self has best as she could, but there wasn't much that she could do.

"It's alright Shazz, everyone enters the Life Stream the same way they enter the world."

Angeal's words brought little comfort as her face beamed bright red. "But I…I mean I can't…"

"We don't have time to stand here and argue. The Goddess sent me to be your guide and I need to get you to Zack before your time is up." Shazz had to admit that she was grateful to have a guide, but she still couldn't be fully relaxed. How could the Goddess expect her to just wonder the Life Stream with Angeal naked? "Come along Shazz. You can walk behind me if you wish. You have my word that I won't turn around."

Shazz didn't have time to contemplate the answer because Angeal was walking away. She let her guard down and chased after Angeal, Even though she felt awkward about being so exposed to Angeal, she did trust him enough that he would keep his word.

They walked silently for awhile and Shazz was starting to get antsy. Having Zack for a friend meant that chaos and adventure were always a part of her life and so she grew to have an aversion to silence. She wanted to talk to Angeal, but she was nervous. She had never spoken to him and for a long time she was convinced that he disliked her, even though Zack would swear up and down that he didn't.

"Ummm…Angeal, I was wondering…how is it that you are here? I mean you're a part of the Life Stream and yet you're still a whole person."

Somehow Angeal was able to follow her abstract ramblings and gave a gruff answer "I didn't leave this world entirely human. Being full of Jenova cells, I am able to manifest myself within the Life Stream."

"Oh…I see. So what else are you able…" She could hear Angeal give a sigh and she immediately stopped talking. She assumed that he was getting frustrated with her and she couldn't afford to lose him as a guide.

She continued to follow him in solemn silence until something caught her attention. Not to far from her, the green lights were swirling around and were starting to take shape. There was something familiar about the form these lights were taking and Shazz couldn't help but become curious and she went in for a closer look.

Angeal kept walking, but he was feeling a bit anxious. Shazz had been unusually quiet for the past ten minutes and it was starting to bother him. He wanted to look back to make sure that she was ok, but he knew he couldn't. He had given her his word that he wouldn't look at her, but his instincts were telling him differently. He remembered his Solider training and he knew that sometimes all one has is his instincts and since this was a matter of life and death for Shazz, he knew he should look back.

He turned around and his eyes widened. It was exactly what he feared, Shazz was gone. Angeal tore through the Life Stream, screaming her name, but he got no reply. He was starting to become nervous, a feeling he wasn't quite familiar with, but he had to find her. Just then, he heard the sound of someone crying. He honed in on the sound and followed it intently. When he finally came upon the source of the cry, he was relieved to see that it was Shazz. But that relief was short lived when he saw her reaching out to the Life Stream.

"SHAZZ DON'T!" he yelled as he raced towards her. Just before her hand was about touch the invisible wall, he managed to grab her arm and pull her away. To his surprise, she was actually trying to pull away from him. "Shazz, you must stop this. Allowing yourself to get too close only means it will be able to pull you in."

"But they were my parents! I just want to see them! I want to tell them I'm sorry, sorry I wasn't able to say good-bye!" Her voice was shrill as she fought against him. "Please Angeal, just let me see them."

Angeal looked over to where Shazz was standing and saw the illuminated figures of her parents. They weren't entirely whole like he was, but there was no hiding the sadness that was etched on their faces, but now was not the time. He gripped the shoulder's of the raving girl and shook her back to reality. "Shazz, don't forget the reason why you're here! You can't bring him back if you give in to your emotions like this."

His eyes held hers and she steadily regained her composer. She missed them so much when she was living in solitude. It was Tseng's attempt to keep her safe from all the fighting, but her parents were killed before she had a chance to see them again. For years she lived with the guilt of not being able to spend that time with them and she often thought that they were mad at her for leaving without so much as a word. This was her moment, her last chance to let them know that she loved them and was always thinking about them, but she knew this was not her goal.

"I…I…I'm sorry. You're right, I forgot why I came here. Please, continue."

He was startled by her sudden compliance, but he hid it well. "Very well," he said in a calm demeanor "but this time, stay by my side."

She quietly nodded her head and started to walk beside Angeal. She didn't care much about her appearance, nor did she mind the silence. It felt better to cry in silence than to act like a blubbering baby in front of the person Zack considered a hero. This wasn't so for Angeal. His time in the Life Stream had heightened his senses and the sound of tears was like nails on a chalkboard to him. He could actually hear a heart breaking and it was a sound that he wouldn't wish for anyone to hear.

He felt sorry for her and he wanted to comfort her, but he just didn't know how. All his life he had never been a rule breaker and as far back as he could remember, touching Shazz was breaking the rules. He had been honor bound to protect all things Shinra and being that Rufus had this ownership of Shazz, he did everything within his power to avoid her. Although it was hard to when Zack was her best friend. He shook his head to get rid of these thoughts. He was no longer a part of Shinra and right now Shazz needed someone.

"They're proud of you you know." Angeal said without making eye contact with her.

"What?" Shazz replied meekly. She wasn't quite sure if Angeal was actually trying to have a conversation with her.

"Your parents, they wanted you to know that they are proud of you. They only looked sad when you saw them because they feared something had happened to you. They knew you had a great life and it was too soon for you to be in the Life Stream. They love you and want you to have a full and happy life."

"Th…thank you. It means a lot to hear you say that." She smiled at him and of course it went unnoticed. "How do you know all this."

"Being a part of the Life Stream allows me to communicate with all the souls that dwell here. You're parents were telling me this and I had to pass…"

A low rumbling interrupted their conversation and made them stop abruptly.

"What was that?" Shazz asked.

Angeal was deathly silent as he listened to the noises around him. "Dammit!" He grabbed Shazz's hand and started running. It was all happening so fast that Shazz could barely keep up with him.

"Angeal, what the hell is going on!"

"Your welcome has been worn out. The Goddess can no longer keep her control of the Life Stream and her barrier is beginning to crumble."

Shazz wanted to ask more questions but she could barely get them out because Angeal was picking up the pace. She took a quick glance over her shoulder and saw a wave of glittering beams of light heading right for them. She tried her best to match Angeal's pace, but she just couldn't keep up. In fact, she was starting to slow down. Her body felt like it had been stuck with tiny needles and all her energy was draining right from her.

"Come on Shazz!" he barked "We mustn't slow down!"

"Angeal…I can't…so tired."

He turned to se her staggering and worst of all, he could see her life force being sucked right out of her. He knew the Life stream was starting to pull her in. He swept her up in his arms and started running again. He felt her head against his chest and he looked down to see her eyes closing. "Stay with me girl." he shouted as he sprinted "You have to stay awake! I…I…I can't do this without you!"

A moment of silence passed between them. Shazz wasn't quite sure if Angeal was really asking her for help. She opened her mouth to say something, but he beat her to the punch.

"You know as well as I do that Zack didn't deserve this fate. That boy showed so much promise, not just as a Solider, but as a true hero. There was nothing he wouldn't do to protect the people he loved and I knew that a heart as pure as his would be destroyed by Shinra. So I pushed him to become stronger so that he might be able to escape the fate that Genesis and I were doomed too. I wanted him to have a full and happy life without all the corruption and fighting, never this. He has a second chance now and it's all because of you. So I'll protect you Shazz, but you have to fight and keep fighting till the end. It's all in your hands now."

He felt her press her hand against his heart. "Zack was right, you truly are a hero." Her sweet words played upon his ears like a sad song of redemption. To be considered a hero after all this time really resonated with him. He held her tighter and his pace quickened.

Out of everything Shazz had to fight for, trying not to succumb to the wholesome embrace of the Life Stream was by far the hardest. It was like running away from the arms of the person who only wanted to love and protect you. But she managed to hang on till Angeal had sat her down.

"He's beside you now. I'll hold the Life Stream off for as long as I can. The rest is up to you." Angeal stood in front of her and held his hands out towards the approaching waves of light. He used some magic to create a barrier between them.

Shazz looked towards the restful body of her dearest friend. She was too weak to even crawl over to him, but she managed to muster up enough strength to pull herself up on her elbows and drug herself closer to him. A smile forced its way through her fear as she laid her head upon his chest. Perhaps it was foolish to take a moment to lay with Zack like she used to when they spent the nights out on her balcony, but Angeal would forgive her this weakness, for this was the last time she would feel him this close again.

After her brief moment of nostalgia, she pulled herself up so that they could be face to face.

"Hi Zack" her voice quivered as she spoke his name. " Can you believe that its me that is coming to rescue you? I guess you could say that I'm finally paying you back for all the times you save me." She brushed away one of her tears that had fallen upon his cheek. "Don't start with me Zack, I know you would tell me that there is no need for tears but you forget that it's me who holds the upper hand so I'll cry if I so choose." She ran her fingers through is long black hair and gave him one last kiss. "Our time is over dear friend so you better take extra good care of Cloud. It's all up to you now. Just promise me, when all of this is said and done, that you live the life you always wanted. Be happy and love unconditionally."

She pressed her forehead to him and warm white light began to surge around them until they were completely consumed by it. Shazz held on to him tightly until she could feel the memories of him begin to fade. "I love you Z….Z….Z….?"

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><p>Oh this night is too long<br>Have no strength to go on  
>No more pain, i'm falling away<br>Through the mist I see your face  
>Of an angel calls my name<br>I remember you're the reason I have to stay

Lyrics from "Pale" by Within Temptation


	11. Bittersweet

Welcome back to the story my dear dedicated readers! So sorry it took me a while to get this posted but aren't you glad i did? I'm sure you've been dying to know what happened since the last time we parted. Well here is Chapter 11. I hope you enjoy. Oh and while I writing this, I kept listening to "Together we live forever" by Clint Mansel. It's a very pretty instrumental. If you're a fan of mood music, that song is perfect for this chapter ^_^

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><p>The battered motor bike made such a noise as it skidded across the ground. Cloud had other things on this mind other than bothering with a kick stand. He had driven all day through that nasty storm in order to make it to the Forgotten City. Blood was smeared on his cheek from being hit with flying debris as well as multiple bruises. He was soaked clear to the bone and he could barely understand how he was still walking.<p>

His heart and his mind were the only parts of him that ran at full capacity. He had come here to see if he would gain a lover or lose a friend. He had no idea what he was to expect or what he should even hope for. Such simple questions he continuously asked himself but they only brought forth complex answers.

He pushed further into the Forgotten City, not even thinking about the memories that had once taken place here. He was running on pure adrenaline and his instincts were leading the way. It was a horrible feeling he had in his gut. He knew Shazz would be at the lake, the very place where he laid Aerith to rest.

It was just up ahead. He pushed past the bushes that blocked his path, his heart racing. He eyed the shimmering water and he felt like he could feel her presence just below the surface, but his feet wouldn't move. His body trembled as tears brimmed in his baby blues.

Water trickled down flawless skin as he stared wide eyed at everything around him. Hands explored a naked body, as if seeing wasn't believing. He had to make sure he was whole, that he was really there. He looked down at his reflection in the water and noticed a man was staring at him just standing on the shore. He turned around and watched as a gentle breeze tussled a nest of blonde hair and as a tear fell from the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen.

"Cloud." his voice sounded unfamiliar to him. Was this the first time he had spoken, and who was this man? How did he know his name?

"Zack?" he turned his head at the mention of his name. The blonde was coming towards him. His eyes were locked on him intensely and he felt like he should back away, but he couldn't. The blonde jumped in the water, clothes and all, and stood right before him. He reached out and touched his shoulder. "It is you! You're really here!"

He wanted to say something but a pair of lips collided against his. The friction of this kiss started to set of signals in his brain. Something in him ignited and flashes of his life with this man started to play before him and all these tender feelings fell upon him a torrential rain. He wrapped his arms around Cloud and crushed him against his body. He opened his mouth and enveloped Cloud's hungry lips. Just to taste those salty sweet kisses again and to feel how perfectly his body molded to his made tears spring to his eyes.

Zack brought his hands to Cloud face and gently broke the kiss. He just wanted to look at him. That angelic porcelain face, those bottomless pools of blue. He bent down and kissed every inch on his face, dirt and all. He couldn't help himself.

"Cloud, I can't believe it! I mean, this is real! How…how did this happen? How am I holding you right now?"

Cloud wasn't even paying attention to what Zack was saying. He was too caught up in the moment. All he could to do was just stare at is beloved, all he wanted to do was just continue holding him. "I've missed you so much Zack. I used to pray for a chance to hold you again and here you are, here we are."

Zack smiled so sweetly as he peered into his beloved's eyes. God how me missed those baby blues and his lips, oh his lips were so kissable. He couldn't restrain himself. He just wanted to taste them again. He leaned in and just as their lips were about to meet, a searing pain ravaged Zack's head. He staggered back as both his hands grasped the side of his head. It felt like he was being plugged into an outlet and the electricity was surging through this brain.

"Zack! What's wrong?" Cloud was rushing to his side and held him up so he wouldn't fall back into the water. "Zack! Come on, please talk to me! Zack!"

Finally the raven haired man's body stopped trembling. The only sound that could be heard was the soft ripples of the water. Zack stood straight up and his eyes locked on to Cloud. "I know. I know how I got here. Images of the Life Stream were flashing before me. The words of the Goddess ringing in my ear and….and…" he couldn't finish his sentence. He started to frantically search the water's surface. "Where is she? Where's Shazz?"

Cloud had gotten so caught up in the reunion that he had forgotten about Shazz. He looked over at Zack who was combing over the water with a fine toothed comb. "I can't see her Cloud!" the panic in his voice was palpable. " Is she…no she can't be! I won't allow it! She has to still be down there."

Cloud grabbed Zack before he could think about diving in. Zack looked back him in confusion, but he wouldn't let go. He knew it was selfish and if Zack was mad then that was something he would deal with, but he couldn't risk losing him, not when he just came back.

Zack didn't know what to say. He just stared at Cloud completely stunned. Wasn't he worried about her? Didn't he care that she wasn't here? He shouldn't be stopping him, he should be jumping in with him. "Cloud, it's Shazz."

"I know, but…" His mouth just hung open. He didn't know what to say. There was nothing he could say that would justify stopping this rescue mission.

The sound of bubbling water interrupted their conversation and both men looked towards the deeper water. Something was drawing closer to the shallows and they held their breaths. Dark hair broke the surface and their hearts raced that I might be their friend, but it was Vincent's face that appeared before them. He was struggling to surface, like something was weighing him down. Vincent managed to gain some footing and has he stood up, there in his arms was an unconscious Shazz.

In a knee jerk reaction, Cloud turned his head. Although he knew it was trivial, he had never seen Shazz naked before. It just felt wrong to stare at her. Zack didn't even care. He ran as fast as he could through the water and snatched Shazz away from him. He took her up on the shore and laid her down a soft patch of grass. He pressed his ear to her chest.

Cloud shook his head and forced himself to get rid of his embarrassment. He ran to Zack's side. "Is she…"

"No" he said not looking back at him. "But she is very weak. I can barely get a pulse and her heart beat is barely audible. All things considered, she should be gone, but she's hanging on."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't know. Cloud," Zack looked back at him and there was a sadness in his eyes that Cloud had never seen before "could…could you give me some room. I need to try and figure this out."

Cloud nodded his head. Zack had every right to ask him to leave. After all, he stopped Zack's attempt to save her before. He walked over to Vincent who was wringing out his long black tresses. Crystal drops of water ran down his alabaster skin of his bear chest and his water logged pants hung low on his hips.

"Vincent." Cloud called out.

The red eyed man turned his gaze towards his friend. "Cloud, how is she?"

"Zack says that she is alive, but hanging on by a thread."

"So that is Zack, the one you loved." He looked at Zack and then over to Cloud. "His is resurrection why I found her floating in those dark waters?"

He nodded his head, but then gave Vincent an intrusive glare. "Wait, how did you know she was here?"

"I saw a black cloud mass racing through the sky. I sensed an odd presence within it so I followed it. It lead me to the Forgotten City and then it disappeared from my view. I thought maybe I had wasted my time chasing a cloud, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more going on. So I wondered through the Forgotten City till I heard a voice. As I came closer to the source, I realized that it was Shazz, and she was…" there was a pinkish hue in his cheeks and he cleared his throat. "I didn't feel right to stare while she was in that kind of state so I turned away. Then I heard a splash and when I looked back, she was gone. I waited to see what she was doing, but she never surfaced."

Vincent looked over at Zack who was still sitting on the ground and holding Shazz in his arms. " You may not have known, but Tifa did keep us informed about what was happening with Shazz. I remembered why she came here and I immediately dove in. The water was impossibly dark, it seemed like it was trying to prevent me from going deeper but I kept on trying. When I was able to swim a little bit deeper, something flew right past me like the Life Stream had shot it out. I couldn't quite make out what it was so I kept swimming to make sure Shazz wasn't down there. Then I saw her slowly floating towards me." Vincent looked over at Cloud with remorseful eyes. "I'm sorry Cloud, if I hadn't hesitated, then we wouldn't be standing here waiting for her fate to be decided."

Cloud placed a hand on Vincent's shoulder "You can't blame yourself. If anything, I'm very grateful you were here. If it wasn't for you, she might not of even had a chance, no matter how small it is."

The wind started to pick up and the repetitious beating of helicopter blades were coming closer. A bright light shown upon them and Cloud shielded his eyes as he watched the helicopter come in for a landing.

As the propellers slowly came to a stop, Tseng, Rude, and Rufus jumped out of the back. Reno got out of the cockpit, only he would be crazy enough to navigate a helicopter through a storm of that magnitude.

All eyes fell on Zack.

"Oh my…"

"God." Rude finished Reno's sentence as he removed his shades. He had to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. "I didn't want to believe it, but he's really here. There was truth to all this madness."

Tseng's eyes traveled from Zack to the limp body that lay in his arms. "Shazz!" He tore of towards her and knelt down by her side. He reached out for her hand and shuttered at how cold it felt. "Oh no…Shazz!"

Zack could tell what he was thinking. The anguish in his eyes said it all. "She's not dead." Tseng looked up at him and Zack knew that his return was insignificant to him. All he wanted was Shazz. "She's hanging on, but if we don't do something soon, then we'll lose her."

Tseng stared at his wife's ghostly white skin. Her rose colored lips were now a lifeless grey tint, her lively brown eyes were closed, and her hair now highlighted white. "What's wrong with her?"

"She was in the Life Stream longer than expected. I fear most of her life force is still there."

"Can we get it back?"

"I don't know."

A tear fell down Tseng's cheek as he took Shazz's icy hand and placed it on his cheek. Zack swallowed back the tears and focused on finding a solution. He knew there had to be something he could do. This wasn't over, not when her heart was still beating.

Vincent's keen senses picked up on a bubbling sound. He looked out towards the lake and noticed something was glowing on the surface of the water. He went over to the edge and it looked like the waves were bringing it right towards him. He bent down and pick up the orb and he held it out a ways for a better look. It looked like it could have been materia, but there was something different about it. There were thousands of little light swirling around inside it. It might have just been a gut feeling, but he knew he had to give this to Zack.

He cautiously approached Zack and laid a hand on his shoulder. When Zack turned to look at him, Vincent was taken aback by the amazing azure eyes that stared at him. It was clear to him that the man Cloud had pined after was remarkably beautiful, but the sadness that lingered in those heavenly blues didn't suit him at all. "Here," Vincent held out the living orb for Zack to take. "I found this floating in the lake. I think it might belong to her."

Zack took it and studied it. The more he looked at it, the more that sadness left him. Even Tseng could sense something. It was almost like that orb itself was emitting hope.

"What is it?" Tseng asked as he laid Shazz's hand back on her chest.

"It's…it's her life force." A smile creased his lips and he looked back towards the lake and said a silent prayer. _"Thank you Gaia, I knew you wouldn't forsake your child."_ He placed the orb over her heart, but something in him hesitated . Tseng was about to ask what the hold up was, but then he noticed the lonesome way that Zack was staring at her.

"Tseng, could you…"

The former Turk got up and patted Zack on the shoulder. "It's ok Zack, I'm going to go back and grab her a blanket. You say what you need to say."

Zack nodded his head in gratitude and waited for him to leave. When he was sure that he was alone, he pulled Shazz closer to himself and kissed her forehead. "Thank you Shazz, because of you, I have a second chance at life." he paused to wipe away a tear that was starting to fall. " Sorry, I know there is more that I should say, but I've never been that good with words. That's partly your fault, one to many hits upside that head." He smiled though the tears were starting to poor. He knew what giving her this orb meant and the thought of her not being a part of his life was eating away at him, but he knew that was the way it had to be. She had accepted it and so he had to as well. "So what do you say Shazzberry, are you up for a new adventure? I've never known you to back down."

He placed the orb over her heart and as soon as it made contact with her skin it started to melt into her. Light shot through her entire body like visible veins. Cloud and the rest of the bystanders watched as a brilliant white halo formed over Shazz. The light sent a shockwave of warmth that encompassed the whole area and everyone felt a little lighter.

When the light finally faded, everyone held their breath and waited for Zack to say something.

"Everyone, she's going to be just fine." No body needed to be told twice. They rushed over to Zack who was now standing with Shazz in his arms. She was still unconscious, but the luster was back in her brown hair, the color back in her cheeks, and her lips were pink and plump.

Tseng, feeling nervous about all these eyes being on his naked wife, went over and covered her with a grayish blue blanket that he found in the chopper. Tseng stepped back and Reno, Rude, and Rufus stood on either side of him while Vincent and Cloud stood next to Zack. The only person that was in the middle was Shazz.

"Where do we go from here?" Tseng asked in his usual solemn tone.

Zack sighed as he gazed upon Shazz's serene expression. "Her mind is extremely fragile right now. It's going to take sometime before her own memories will lock into place." He took in a deep breath to calm his emotions. "She…she can't be around anything that might remind her of what she lost. That kind of stimuli with cause her a déjà vu moment and will result in extreme pain. It would be best if…if you keep her away from us for awhile."

Tseng nodded his head. "What will she remember?"

"Well, she'll basically remember everything about her life before Cloud or I became a part of it." Zack sneered as he noticed the relief on Rufus's face. What had happened between Rufus and Shazz the days after he and Cloud went AWOL was an ugly memory that he didn't want Shazz to live with. He shook his head of this thought and focused back on his friend. That was something he would deal with late on, but for now he was concerned about her future. "I wanted to make sure that she will continue to live a happy life, so I made sure she kept her memories of you. When she wakes up, she'll know she's happily married to you."

Tears of joy trickled down Tseng's cheeks and Reno gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. He reached out his arms to receive Shazz, but Zack withdrew. Tseng was dying to hold his wife, but he understood the reaction. This was last time these two friends would be this close, so we wouldn't deny him the time he wanted.

Zack looked at Cloud and then back at Shazz. He was grateful for his second chance at having a life with Cloud, but it was hard to just give up his friend. How could he just hand over to the people that he had spent most of his protecting her from? It was hard to accept the fact that the roles would now be in reverse. They would protect her from him. He felt a gentle hand upon his arm and he looked to find kind blue eyes looking longingly at him. That simple touch from his beloved was the encouragement he needed and he placed Shazz in Tseng in arms.

The way Tseng's eyes shone as he looked at Shazz was all the reassurance he needed to know he was doing the right thing.

"I'll keep my promise Zack. I'll always take good care of her."

"I know."

With a slight nod of their heads, a silent acknowledgement passed between them and Tseng walked back to the helicopter. Rufus followed, but Rude lingered and looked at Zack. "Here." He handed him a pair of pants.

"Thanks." Zack said with a smirk. Through all this commotion, he had forgotten that he himself was naked.

Rude nodded and headed back to the chopper. Reno gave Zack a quick salute. "Welcome back." He said was an impish smile as he turned to catch up with Rude. "He wait up, have you always carried an extra pair of pants with you?"

"You never know when the one's you're wearing will get dirty."

"Always the sharp dresser." Reno hopped in the to the driver's seat and started the engines.

Zack finished buttoning up his pants just in time for him to shield his eyes from the wind that was cased by the propellers. He watched as it ascended into the dark sky. He waved as the chopper carried away his best friend.

A warm hand intertwined with his and even though his heart was aching, being able to feel Cloud's hand in his calmed him in a way he never thought possible. "I guess nothing can be gained unless something is lost huh?"

"I suppose so." Cloud gave Zack's arm a tug. "Come on Zack, lets go home."


	12. New Beginnings

OMG yes it is here! After 4 weeks of falling off the face of the earth i've managed to fight my way back and post this chapter. I am soooooooo so so so so soooooooo sorry for the wait my beloved readers. I do hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me :(...you'll think about it? well, that's good enough for me ^_^. To be honest i just couldn't figure out what a i wanted to do for the ending. i wanted to add a little fan service and i wanted it to be touching. finding a good enough balance is tricky. Well here it is, the final chapter to come what may. Please enjoy.

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><p>Dawn was breaking as Cloud parked his bike in the ally way behind the Seventh Heaven. When he got off his bike he turned around and offered his hand to the bare chested Zack.<p>

The dark haired man stared at the outstretched hand, arched in eyebrow, and smiled. "I remember how to walk you know."

Cloud quickly withdrew his hand and nervously scratched the back of his head. "Oh…uh…of course…I just…"

His awkward sputtering was silenced as a pair of lips brushed across his. "You were always irresistible when you were flustered." A pinkish hue lit up Cloud's face. After all this time, Zack still had a way of making him feel like a prepubescent school girl with her first crush. "Come on Cloud; let's go meet your family."

The blonde nodded and opened the back door of the bar that led into the kitchen. It was very early in the morning and Cloud assumed that Tifa and Denzel would still be sleeping. He turned to Zack and but a finger to his lips to warn him they had to be quiet. They crept through the kitchen and made their way to the stairs.

"Cloud?" A sleepy voice stopped them from heading up. They turned around and Tifa was sluggishly getting off a bar stool. She looked at Cloud with tiresome eyes. The bags underneath of them indicated that she had not slept much all night.

"Tifa, I didn't mean to…"

"Thank God you're back home!" She ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. "What happened? Did things go the way you hoped? Were there any complications? I've been so worried…about…you…?" Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a dark haired, shirtless man standing just a little bit behind Cloud. She slowly let go of her friend, her eyes never leaving Zack. Her mind started to battle her heart. Logically, he really couldn't be here. The flow of life goes in one direction, you live and then you die and there is no room for deviation. Yet in her heart, she believed in miracles.

"Hello Tifa." Zack said in an unusual calm tone. "It's been a long time."

The sound of his voice brought Tifa back to her youth, back to Nibelheim. She was eagerly waiting for Cloud to arrive. She had missed him so much when he left to join Soldier. When she saw him coming up towards her house, she ran out and hugged with an overzealous affection. When he hugged her back, she had felt something different, like he was hesitating. That was when he introduced her to Zack and shyly admitted that they were dating. At first she was put off by the fact that Cloud was in a relationship with another man, but when she noticed the smile on her friend's face when Zack was near, it was hard to stay mad. The more time she spent with Zack, the more she realized how easy it was to love him. He was so effervescent, the way he smiled and the sound of his laughter was enough to melt anyone's heart.

The tears that brimmed in her eyes brought her back to the present. Zack was standing in front of her, nervously waiting for a response. She smiled and embraced him. "Welcome home Zack." The warmness of Zack's arms the wrapped around her seemed to seep right into her and an overwhelming feeling of completion flooded her heart. She was truly happy, happy that Cloud had his love back and happy that Zack was back.

"What's going on?" All heads turned to the direction of the stairs and at the bottom was Denzel rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Tifa let go of Zack and went over to the young boy. "I'm sorry Denzel, did we wake you?"

"I heard Cloud's voice, and I wanted to see him."

Cloud walked over to him and ruffled his cinnamon locks. "Hey little man, I want you to meet someone very special to me." He took the boy's hand and led him over to Zack. "This is Zack and he's going to be staying with us from now on."

Denzel looked up into those clear cerulean eyes and even though he had never laid eyes on this man before, there was something strangely familiar about the way he looked back at him. "Hello, I'm Denzel. It's nice to meet you."

Zack got down on one knee so he could be at eye level with the kid. "It's nice to meet you too Denzel. I look forward to getting to know you and Tifa while I'm here." He flashed the boy a cheesy Zack Fair smile, but it quickly faded when he felt two small hands upon his face. "What is it Denzel? Do I have a fever?"

"No" said Denzel as he continued to examine Zack "but you're much warmer than I expected."

"Really, how so?"

"I remember Cloud saying that you were coming back to life, doesn't that make you a zombie or something?"

Laughter filled the room as everyone realized the absurd truth in Denzel's question. Zack got back on his feet and patted Denzel's head. "You make an excellent point. Tell you what; if I should ever get a craving for brains, you have my permission to kick me out of the house."

Denzel smiled and nodded his head "Deal."

"Well sense we're all up, I will go and make us some breakfast." Tifa said as she started to walk towards the kitchen.

"I'll help." Cloud said as he followed Tifa.

"Hold on a second." Denzel shouted and everyone stopped dead in their tracks. They looked back a Denzel who was staring at Zack. "I remember that look. It is the same one she always gave me. There was always softness in her eyes when she looked at me." His gaze turned to Cloud. "Where is she Cloud? Where is Shazz?"

Everyone could feel their colors draining from them. They had been so caught up in their reunion that they forgot about the reason why Zack was here in the first place. Leave it to a child to say what the adults are too afraid to.

He looked over at Tifa who was staring at him intently. He could tell that she was just as eager to hear his answer as Denzel was. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He walked over to Denzel and bent down so that he could look him in the eye. "Look Denzel, I don't know how to tell you this…"

"Then just spit it out." interrupted the boy "If you're trying to protect me don't bother. I heard you and Tifa arguing about Shazz and you kept saying that if Zack were to come back here, than she wouldn't. So where is she?"

Cloud was surprised by the boy's forwardness and proud for how brave he was being. "Well…I'm afraid…she won't be coming back…"

"Is she dead?"

"NO!" Cloud was quick with that answer. He could hear Tifa release her breath. He figured she had been holding it because she was afraid of what the answer was going to be, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. He still had to explain to Denzel why Shazz was alive and still not coming back. "Denzel, Shazz is…well…Shazz is sick and she is somewhere she can recover."

"Can we go visit her?"

Cloud shook his head. "She's really sick and needs a lot of care, care that we aren't able to give her."

"There has to be something we can do?" Cloud could see the tears that were forming in those amethyst eyes. "We're a family Cloud and we have to take care of each other."

Cloud gingerly wiped away a tear that was falling down the boy's cheek. He mentally chided himself for not preparing himself for this. All he had thought about was the prospect of Zack coming back and not even once did he think how this would affect Denzel. "You're right, but this time the situation is out of our hands. I know it's not fair, but we have to do what's best of Shazz. She needs to be with people that can help her get better. I wish, with all my heart that it could be us, but it's not. So we have to be strong and I bet knowing that we're thinking about her and praying for her will help her recover. What do you say; can you smile for her until she can return home?"

Denzel nodded his head and swallowed back his sadness. "When will that be Cloud?"

"I'm not sure kiddo, but when the time is right, she'll be with us again." he boy smiled as his stomach began to growl. "Well I think that's a sign that we should get to that breakfast." He turned back around to look at Zack and was surprised to find that he wasn't there. "Hey Tifa, did you see where Zack went?"

She shook her head "I'm sorry, I was to focused on Denzel that I didn't notice he left." Cloud's eyes darted around the room as his nerves started to fluttered. What if he had never bothered to read the fine print? Maybe this was just some big Cinderella story where he only had a few hours until things would return to normal. "Denzel and I will check outside and why don't you check upstairs."

Tifa took Denzel's hand and headed out the door while Cloud flew up the stairs. "Zack! Zack where are you? Zack!"

"I'm in here."

The sound of Zack's voice slowed his racing heart. He saw that the door to his room was open. When he walked in, he saw Zack sitting on his bed and he was staring at the neatly made bed that was in the corner of the room. He had a sullen look on his face and it was obvious that something was weighing on his mind. Cloud sat down next to him, but Zack eyes wouldn't leave the vacant bed.

"That's her bed right?"

Cloud nodded. "That and the rest of her stuff that Reno forgot when they came to move her out. How'd you know?"

"Her memories are mine now. I knew which room was yours, and where she slept, hell, if you were too leave me anywhere in this city I would be able to find my way back here. The smell of this bar, the clatter of the city, and the faces of the people are all so familiar to me."

Cloud was about to say something when he noticed a tear running down Zack's cheek. Zack quickly covered his face with his hand and when the other he was holding a picture frame. Cloud squinted his eyes to get a better look and realized it was the frame he kept on his nightstand. It contained a picture of Tifa, Denzel, himself, and Shazz right in front of the bar. The blonde reached out to hold Zack but he was stopped by a hand held out in front of him. A whole new pain weld up inside of him. Why was Zack pushing him away?

Zack wiped away his tears but he couldn't make eye contact with Cloud. "I'm sorry. It's all so overwhelming that I can't seem to get a grip on my emotions. I don't remember ever feeling this vulnerable before and I don't know how to handle it."

"You don't have to apologize. I know this must be very hard for you…"

"Cloud, you have no idea how hard it is. I've started a new life with memories that aren't really my own. She gave me more than just the memories we shared together." He held up the picture to Cloud and pointed at Shazz. "Do you see her smile? That wasn't because she was posing for a picture, she was truly happy. She loved you, Tifa and Denzel and was so grateful to be part of a family. I don't think you guys will ever fully realize the depth of love and admiration she had for all of you, but I do. I can feel it Cloud. It's so raw and beautiful that I feel an obligation to keep that part of her going. But…" Zack took a few moments to get his emotions in check. He could feel the flood gates about to burst and he was too proud to let Cloud see him a blubbering mess. "But the look on that boy's face when he realized that she was never coming home made it painfully clear that even though I held so much love for him, he only loved Shazz. The cruel truth of it all is that my return has broken a family. I was foolish to think that I could just pick up where she left off."

Cloud took the frame and set it down on his night stand. "You're right; it was foolish to think like that." Zack gave Cloud a bewildered look but all the blonde did was smile. "Because you are not Shazz. Granted I am glad that you came here with the mindset that you already loved my family, but you aren't here to replace Shazz. She will always hold a special place in our hearts and quite frankly, that's never going to change. This whole situation has caused us all to make a lot of adjustments and Denzel is a strong kid. He will grow to love you in his own way. He will come to love you Zack Fair."

Zack just nodded his head and stared at the floor. "Wow, things must be changing when it's you that is telling me to look on the positive side of things."

Cloud moved in closer and placed his hand on top of Zack's. There was an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach. There was a question he wanted to ask but he was too afraid of the answer that he never spoke up. "Zack…you don't…regret this do you?"

Zack raised his head but still didn't look at Cloud. "Honestly Cloud, that's been a question I've been pondering myself. Shazz put her life on the line and sacrificed a lot of what she loved in order to bring me back and I feel…that it…would be such an insult to her if I wasted my second chance on something as trivial as regret. I'll miss her Cloud, but I made her a promise to enjoy my life and to honor that is to honor her." Zack felt a hand caress his cheek and he turned to look into the blue eyes he had loved for so long.

"I may not know what you're going through, but I know things are going to work out. It may be years before Shazz can even remember our names, but there is one thing that I am certain of and that is she will remember. This isn't going to be forever."

Zack smiled and pressed his forehead to Cloud's. "Thank you, I needed to hear that." He kissed Cloud, but he couldn't quite pull himself away. One kiss was never enough when it came to Cloud. He kissed him again and this time his lips lingered upon Cloud's. When he did manage to pull away, he felt his heart beating faster and he was breathing heavy. He set his hands upon Cloud's hips and pulled him closer.

Cloud was surprised at Zack's demanding lips as they devoured his. He wasn't sure if this was the time or place, but his body was already yielding to Zack's touch so he just went with it. He wasn't sure how far this was going to go, but let the pieces fall where they may. He wrapped his arms around Zack and opened his mouth to allow Zack's tongue the accesses it was begging for. The sensation of the tug of war game their tongues were playing was driving him mad, but this still wasn't close enough. It was like Zack was reading his mind because he felt a pair of hands slither up his sweater. He was ready. Zack could take him if he wanted; he had waited for so long.

"Hey Cloud! Did you find Zack?" The kiss broke instantly and Cloud suppressed the passion that was rising within him. He had forgotten about Tifa.

"Ye…yeah I found him." His voice cracked as he shouted back.

"Great, are you going to come down for breakfast?"

The two men looked at each other and smiled nervously "Yeah we'll be down." Cloud replied as resentment underlined his tone. It wasn't that he didn't' want to spend time with Tifa and Denzel; he was just seeing blue right now. He got up to his feet, straightened out his sweater, fixed his hair, and started towards the door. He turned back to see if Zack was following but he was just sitting on the bed. "Are you coming?"

"Can you just give me a few minutes, I'll be right down."

Cloud nodded and headed down the stairs.

Zack sat there looking at the photo frame that Cloud had sat back down on his night stand. The sun's rays slowly crept through the slits in the curtains and fell upon something that sparkled in Zack's view. He moved closer to the night stand and picked up a small sterling silver frame. A small cry escaped him when he saw the picture in the frame. It was of Cloud all dressed up in a tuxedo and his hands held tightly on to a most beautiful bride. This was the first time he had ever seen Shazz on her wedding day the smile on her face as she gazed into Cloud's eyes was breaking his heart.

"I wish I could have been there. It would have been a memory I would have loved to have been a part of." He laughed despite the tears that were falling. "I know you would have hit me upside the head for laughing at such a serious moment but I think that's just my natural defense. I'm not good with sad moments, only happy ones" He wiped away one of his tears that had fallen on the picture. "You look so beautiful Shazz and very happy. I pray that this happiness continues for you. I know it will for me. So what do you say to a new promise? You set forth on your new adventure and remember to safe and to embrace all that life gives you. As for me, well, I'll be waiting. No matter how long it takes, I'll be waiting for you to come home."

Zack set the picture down, wiped the tears from his eyes, and headed downstairs to join his family for breakfast.

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><p><em>Can I make a confession<br>I'm lighting Candles for you and I  
>I Pray for a love resurrection<br>And all the things we lost in the fire  
>Cause you bring me love<br>You lift me up  
>And every time you kiss it's like God's walking into the room<br>Forgive me Love  
>Can't give you up<br>My hand upon the Bible  
>Your love is survival<em>

_"God walking into the room" by Darren Hayes_


	13. Epilogue

Well this is it folks. This chapter makes my story complete! It's been such a long and incredible journey and i think each and everyone of you for reading. I couldn't be any happier to have you all along for the ride. Truly, thank you! There is a quick person i want to mention. I would love to give a special thanks to Lord phantom noel for being a constant encrouager and inspiration. I'm blessed to have you has a friend and i know this will continue for years to come. I love you ^_^ As i love you all so without further adieu, please enjoy the epilogue

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><p>The shadow of leaves speckled Zack's face as he lay underneath the Shade of a tall oak tree. Cloud lay perpendicular, resting his head on Zack's stomach. The warm summer breeze rustled the green foliage and the fresh air made them feel drowsy.<p>

"It's nice being able to just relax at the park instead of chasing Denzel and Marlene around." Zack commented with a half yawn.

"I know what you mean." Cloud replied as his hand found its way into Zack's. "Now a day's they'd rather be chasing each other." The two men laughed as they reflected on the past 7 years. Denzel was now 16 and Marlene had just turned 15. Ever since their hormones had awakened, it was rare that the wanted to spend time with Zack and Cloud.

The bar was now a popular hangout thanks to Zack's over the top advertisings. He was out there on the streets just shouting at everyone to come inside and since no one was impervious to the Zack Fair smile, they had more regulars than they knew what do with. Business was good, family was good, and above all, their relationship was just as strong as ever.

Yes, the years had been good them, not only financially, but physically. Zack and Cloud knew they had gotten older, but they didn't feel their age nor did they look it. The only major difference was that Zack had no need to wear a uniform any more so he just went on to dawning black cargo pants and a navy sleeveless sweater with matching boots. His hair was even lying flatter these days while Cloud's still managed to defy gravity.

"Hey Cloud, don't you think that we should probably give Marlene and Denzel "_the talk" _here soon?"

Cloud looked up a Zack with uncertainty. "Really? What you know of relations with the opposite sex?"

"Hey I know things."

"Oh, do tell."

"Well for instance I know…" before he could finish that sentence, he got a mouth full of soccer ball.

Cloud immediately sat up and took notice of the geometric imprints that the ball had left on his lover's face. He could help but smile. "So you _"know things" huh_? Well FYI, you don't catch a ball with your face."

"Oh ha ha." Came Zack's snarky reply. He sat up and looked around to find the owner of the assassin ball, but there wasn't anybody around. He pulled himself to his feet and bent down to pick up the ball.

"Is anyone coming to claim it?" Asked Cloud as he stood up next to Zack.

"No, probably just some punks that kicked at me and then took off."

"Mister! Hey Mister!" He must of spoke to soon because running towards him was a boy in a gold and navy soccer uniform. His raven hair fell to his shoulders and was a straight as straight can be. He couldn't have been more than 6 years old and when the boy finally stopped in front of him, he could see the worry settling in his brown eyes. As soon as he caught his breath he bowed. "I'm so sorry mister that is my ball. I was just playing and I kicked it a little harder than I thought. I'm really really really sorry."

Zack smiled softly and took pity on the poor kid. This situation was very familiar to him. When he was that age, he was always apologizing for being an overactive kid. "So you're the one who kicked this ball?"

"Yes sir."

Well I have to say that I am impressed. That's quite the kick you've got there."

The boy straightened out, relieved that he wasn't going to get yelled out. "Th…thank you, I practice with my dad a lot."

"He has taught you very well. I bet he is very proud."

"He is! Well, I'm pretty sure he is. My team won our game today and I scored two goals!" His smile beamed with pride.

"That's amazing!" Zack held out his hand and the boy slapped him a five. "If you keep practicing, you'll be able to do this." He threw the ball in the air and started to bounce it off his head. Then he let if fall a little ways and started to bounce it off each knee.

The kid was watching Zack in awe while Cloud just rolled his eyes. _"Leave it to Zack to show off." _He thought.

"Zack!" A frantic voice in the distance distracted Zack and the ball fell to the ground. "Zack! Zack!" The voice was female and it was coming closer.

Cloud looked at his partner. "That could be Tifa; we should…go…see…" Zack wasn't even looking at him, in fact, he looked down right terrified. He was shaking. Cloud looked in the direction that Zack was staring and it became clear as to why Zack was frozen.

Long brown hair floated behind the figure that was running towards them. Her slender figure covered by a modest lilac summer dress and her brown eyes brimmed with tears. "Zack!" she called out again as she picked up the pace.

"_It can't be." _Cloud thought _"After all this time, did you finally remember?"_

"Mom!" Both looked down at the Boy who was running towards their friend. She bent down and scooped him up in her arms and held him tightly.

"Zack you scared me to death, don't you ever run off like that!"

The wriggled out of his mother's vice grip and looked up at her. "I'm sorry mom; I just wanted to find my ball."

"Ok, but next time tell us so we can come with you. You know how I worry."

"I know mom, I won't do it again."

She kissed him, stood up, and dusted off her dress. Then she noticed the two men that were standing a few feet behind her son and her eyes narrowed in on the red mark that was on the dark haired man's face. She took her son's hand and walked towards them and bowed. "Thank you for taking care of my son and I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused you." She stood straight and looked into cerulean eyes. Her browns held Zack tightly, pleading for forgiveness, but that wasn't what Zack was looking for. He wanted recognition, just a slight glimmer would be more than he could ask for, but there wasn't. Desperation clutched his heart. He wanted to grab her, shake her, and scream at her _"It's me Zack! I'm your best friend! You've got to remember!"_

Cloud was shocked too, but the awkward silence slammed him in to reality. He could sense that she was starting to feel uncomfortable and she was even starting to back away. He knew he couldn't let her go. "Uhhh…that's…that's ok. Boys will be boys."

She looked at the blonde and smiled. She was relieved that at least one of them wasn't a complete weirdo. "Thank you for understanding." She looked down at her son "Zack, did you apologize?"

"Yes mom."

Cloud's stomach was twisting with nerves. The way she was walking towards him made him want to take her in his arms, but he knew he couldn't. There was no describing the sweet torture that was flowing through him. It was so cruel that fate brought her here only to have her not remember a single thing. Now he had to act ignorant of someone that his heart knew so well. "Oh, you don't have to worry about it. This guy was too eager to show off his own soccer skills to even think about being mad."

She looked over at Zack one more time and he still looked like he had been frozen in time. "I see," she looked back at the man with the most beautiful sky blue eyes she had ever seen. "I'm Shasta by the way, but everyone calls me Shazz." She held out her hand in greeting.

Cloud slowly slipped his hands into hers and a spark of familiarity shot up his arm. He remembered how soft her skin was but her grip was always strong. "I'm Cloud; it's nice to meet you." Having to introduce himself was nothing short of strange, but if it meant just being around her, he would play the part of a stranger. "And that nutcase over there is my boyfriend Zack."

A pink hue shone in Shazz's cheeks when Cloud told her that he was seeing that man, but she shook away her embarrassment. They were entitled to love who they wanted. She walked over to Zack and held out her hand to him, but he was still too dumbfounded to respond. It took a swift elbow to the gut from Cloud to get him to snap out of his funk. "Oh…uh…hi." He shook her hand though he really had to restrain himself from pulling her into a hug.

"It's nice to meet you Zack…OH!" her sudden burst of energy made Zack's heart all a flutter. Maybe she did remember something after all. "Now I understand why you were looking at me strangely. You have the same name as my son and you must have thought I was crazy for shouting at you so frantically."

"Yeah something like that." Zack held his smile but his words were lined in pain

Shazz smiled and looked over at her son who was picking up his ball. "Well, since you know me and my son, you should meet the rest of my family." She briskly walked a short distance from them and was looking around. "Tseng! I found him! We're over here!" She waved her hands above head and the way she was yelling, everyone one in a 50 mile radius could of heard her.

Tseng eventually made his way to his wife and he was wearing a light green argyle sweater with khakis. His black hair was half pulled back and this framed glasses graced the bridge of his nose. Zack and Cloud had never seen him without his suit on, but that wasn't what shocked them. Sitting on his broad shoulders was a little girl. She looked to be about three and her brown hair was pulled up in pigtails that hung in a natural curls. She had tiny white sandals on that matched the sunflower jumper she was wearing.

Tseng wasn't paying much attention when he walked. His focus was more on his wife, but as he got closer, he recognized the blue eyes that were locked on him. His heart about leapt in his throat. He looked back at Shazz, concerned for he well being, but she looked just fine.

"Tseng, I'd like you to meet the latest victims of son's soccer ball. This is Zack and Cloud, and everyone, this is my husband Tseng." Shazz reached up and took the little girl off his shoulders who couldn't stop giggling. "And this little one is my daughter Aria."

Tseng read their blue eyes and he knew he would just have to play along. "It's nice to meet you gentlemen. Sorry about my son, he's got his mother's spirit."

Shazz rolled her eyes and was about say something back to her husband, but her daughter's twinkling laughter was making it impossible for further conversation. "What is so funny little miss?"

A little finger pointed at Tseng. "Daddy pretty!"

All eyes fell on Tseng and noticed a sparkling pink barrette in his hair. Shazz went over to help him take it out. "You're right sweetie, daddy is very pretty." Her gaze lingered on her husband and Zack could plainly see that Tseng had kept his promise. She was truly happy.

They kissed and the little boy made a gagging noise. "Ewwwww gross!" He crinkled his nose and averted his eyes. "Why do you guys have to be so weird?"

Shazz just laughed. "Alright Zack," she sat Aria down "Here, take Aria and go play, but stay close by."

"Ok mom." He took his little sister's hand. "Come on Aria, I'll teach you how to kick a ball."

"Zackary, did you hear me?"

"Yeah mom, I'm only going over there." He pointed to a nearby field. They headed over and little Zack started to show Aria the ropes, but she seemed more interested in the dandelions.

"So uhh…" Zack was struggling for words. It was so awkward to ask questions about someone that he already knew the answer to. "Are you guys new to town? I haven't seen you around."

Shazz turned her attention away from the kids and pondered her answer. "Well, we aren't exactly new, but we just don't make it to the city that often. Not since the accident."

"Accident?" Zack and Cloud said simultaneously. Shazz took a step back from their reaction, mainly because they were staring at Tseng and not at her. She started to worry that maybe they thought Tseng had done something to her. She knew she had to diffuse the situation.

"Well, you see what happened was just a construction accident. We were rebuilding my parent's cottage and the ceiling kind of just fell apart right on top of me. It knocked me out cold." Zack and Cloud exchanged a look. They figured that this must have been the story Tseng came up with because the truth was so farfetched to actually be true. "The accident caused some major head trauma and I ended up in the hospital. When I came to, I couldn't remember much of anything, except that I was married. I had to relearn that Shinra had been destroyed and that my parents had passed away as a result. Upon all that, the city holds a lot of my missing memories and every time I visit I get these déjà vu moments. They are quite brutal. My head pounds with a pain more intense then the sun's fire. I've even passed out a few times."

"I'm so sorry." Cloud's words were heavy with remorse.

Shazz only smiled. "There is no need to be sorry. As you can see I'm here and I'm totally fine. I owe a lot of that to my kids. They've filled any void I've had and then some." Suddenly little Zack came flying out of nowhere and he wrapped his arms around his mothers leg so hard that he almost knocked her over. "Goodness gracious Zack, what is it?"

"I have to potty!"

Aria, following in her brother's footsteps, curled around her mother's other leg. "Me too!"

"Alright" She picked up Aria, rested her on her hip, and took her son's hand. "Ok little ones, let's go."

"Here, let me help," offered Tseng.

"You don't have to. If you want to stay here and talk with these fine young gentlemen you can. I know you want to."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, and besides, you could use some adult conversation. Lord knows you don't get it at home or at work."

They kissed and Tseng waved as Shazz started to walk towards the outdoor facilities. He turned around to look at Zack and Cloud. It had been so long since they had seen each other and neither of them could think of something to say. They never thought this day would come so no one was really prepared.

Zack was paralyzed with conflicting emotions. On one hand, he was overjoyed that Tseng gave Shazz all the happiness he promised, but on the other, he couldn't help but wonder if he had known that the headaches had stopped and he was just didn't bother to tell him.

Tseng could read Zack like a book in bold print, that and the anger that was seething from him was a dead giveaway. "I had no idea that the headaches had stopped. This came as a shock to me as well."

"Did you even try?" Zack took a step forward but Cloud grabbed his arm.

"Of course I did!" Tseng shot back. "Did you really think that I would take advantage of the situation and keep her to myself? As soon as she was on her feet, I took her to the 7th District, but no matter how many times I brought her there, things just kept getting worse. Even though she was in pain, I kept trying. I just couldn't bring myself to believe that your presence would hurt her." Zack turned away from him, not because she was angry, but because he was disappointed. He had secretly hoped that the sight of him wouldn't hurt his friend. "The only reason I stopped was because she was pregnant. I had to worry about her health and the health of the baby. I know I should have tried to continue but once Zack was born, time just got away from us."

A silence passed over them. There were no more questions because the truth was like a gavel declaring justice. They had hoped that the Goddess's warning was just a _"what if"_, but unfortunately it wasn't.

Cloud shook his head of the grim thoughts. He knew well enough that living in the past isn't good for anything so he changed the subject. "So Tseng, two kids, congratulations."

Tseng smiled, grateful for the change of topic. "Thanks. I couldn't have asked for better kids. Zack is filled with his mother's energy and Aria is a spitting image of her mother."

Cloud nodded his head in agreement. "If you don't mind me asking, how did your son get the name Zack?"

"Actually she insisted. It was just a few weeks before the due date and one day she just looked at me and said _"Zack"_. I was confused at first because I thought she remembered, but she just said _"If it's a boy, I want to name him Zack. My heart is telling me that that's a good name." _With logic like that, how could I say no?"

"I'm sorry," came a quiet voice behind them. They turned around to see tears streaming from big blue eyes. "I didn't mean to get so upset with you Tseng. I was really just upset with myself. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think about her, but the distance, the no knowing was like band aid. If I didn't see it, then the wound would just heal and I would just move on. Ignorance is truly bliss. I didn't want to know how much of her life I would miss." Zack felt the hand of his beloved slip into his and he was grateful for that silent courage. "I just wanted to blame someone for the long absence, but I was just afraid to face the truth. I've missed out on so much and it's killing me."

A warm breeze swept through the trees and the sound of cicadas and the laughter of children could be heard all around them. Zack wiped away the tears and a faint trace of smile could be seen on his lips. "I remember when Shazz and I used to spend nights out on her balcony before I left on missions and we would talk about what the future would hold for us. She always wanted a family and since I knew I might not ever have children, she gave me the title of fun Uncle Zack. I had this image in my head of her and the kids coming over and I would just spoil them rotten. I would let them play in the rain, eat a bunch of junk food, and stay up late. That was why she was so grateful for Cloud coming into my life because then she knew there would be a responsible adult around to make sure her kids where bathed, well fed, and well rested. I was supposed to be there for that milestone in her life and I missed it."

"It's not too late." Zack's eyes lit up as Tseng spoke. "They are still young and that means there is plenty of time for you to become a part of their lives." The sound of his children's voice took his attention away from Zack. They were running towards him and his wife was desperately trying to keep up. Suddenly an idea popped into his head. "Hey honey?"

"Yeah" she said while trying to catch her breath.

"I was thinking, by way of apology, we should invite these nice gentlemen to our barbeque this weekend."

"That's a great idea!" She looked over at them and a smile just lit up her features. "We have one every year and its so much fun. A few guys that my husband works with come over and set off fireworks."

"You have to come!" piped in little Zack. "You have to teach me all those cool soccer moves."

Shazz put a hand on top of her son's head as if it would somehow absorb some of his energy. "That and if you don't come, you'll disappoint my daughter."

Cloud felt someone tugging on his pant leg and when he looked down, he saw Aria looking up at him with big brown eyes just like her mommy. She held out a fluffy white dandelion for him. "Is that for me?" he asked as he got down on one knee. She nodded her head and held it out for him to take. "Thank you very much." He smiled at her and her cheeks flared red and she quickly ran and hid behind her father's legs.

"Well, with an invitation like that, how could we not come?" Zack said as he helped Cloud to his feet.

"Then it's settled. We live just north of Midgar, just few miles out. We are the first house on the right hand side. Be there at 7 p.m. on Saturday." Tseng said as he bent down to pick up Aria.

"Sounds like a plan." Zack said and his gaze soon drifted over to Shazz. He smiled and held out his hand. "I'm really glad we met. I hope this turns into a lifelong friendship." Shazz returned his smile and she was about to shake his hand when she hesitated. "Is something the matter?"

She shook her head. "No, I was…just wondering if…if I could give you a hug?"

Zack didn't even have to think about his answer. He opened his arms to her and she took the invitation with no hesitation. To her surprise, she felt arms tightening around this man she had never met before.

Slowly, reluctantly, she let him go.

"Mommy, are you ok?"

Shazz looked down at her son whose eyes were shining with concern. "I'm fine honey, why?"

"You're crying?"

She gingerly touched her cheek and felt the moistness of her tears. "I…I must just have something in my eye. No worries, mommy is ok."

Tseng put his arm around her and gave her a reassuring squeeze. He knew that her heart was remembering something that her mind couldn't. "Why don't we go home and get some dinner."

She nodded her head and then looked at Cloud. Her body had a mind of its own and she held out her arms to him and hugged him as well. "I'm so glad that I met you both." She said right next to his ear. "I hope that this does turn into a lifelong friendship."

She let him go and he smiled. "You have no idea."

Shazz just smiled and waved good-bye as her and her family started to walk away.

As soon as they were out of sight, Zack turned and kissed Cloud excitedly. There was a buzzing electric aura around them and they both knew why. "Oh my God Cloud! That just happened! Un-freaking-believable! We need…we need...we need to go shopping!"

Cloud arched an eyebrow. "Shopping?"

"That's right, operation fun Uncle Zack begins now."

* * *

><p>Love is here again<br>Like a long lost friend  
>Walking up the path unto your door<br>Love is here again  
>To come and make amends<br>Awakening your soul

"Love is here again" by Avion


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